ISU Central Academic Advising Office continues Be Advised campaign; registration schedule set

The Idaho State University Central Academic Advising Office is continuing its “Be Advised” campaign and also recommending that students pick their major with the “Declare Your Major” campaign, before students register for classes in November.

Both campaigns are led by Central Academic Advising, a unit of the Student Success Center, and direct students to pursue the information they need to progress towards attaining their chosen degree program.

The registration schedule for spring semester 2015 is as follows:

· Monday, Nov. 10 – Senior, graduate, and Post Baccalaureate (90+ credits)

· Wednesday, Nov. 12 – Junior (58-59 credits)

· Friday, Nov. 14 – Sophomore (26-57 credits)

· Monday, Nov. 17 – Freshman (25 or fewer credits)

Online registration begins at 12:01 a.m. for each class level

The Central Academic Advising Office stresses that deciding on a major and taking action to officially declare it is important not only for students but for major departments as well. Students who have officially committed to a major tend to persist in college and graduate. However, students should avoid choosing a major without knowing if it is a proper fit for themself or without understanding the job characteristics or future employment opportunities.

“The ‘Declare Your Major’ campaign should encourage students to declare their major only after spending a proper amount of time gathering information about themselves, evaluating the range of majors available at ISU and the academic requirements of each, and understanding the career opportunities related to their major,” said JoAnn Hertz, director of advising.

Academic advising by a faculty or departmental advisor in a student’s major department or by a professional or knowledgeable peer advisor in Central Academic Advising is strongly recommended for every student before registering for each semester.

“Advising is the cornerstone of a successful experience at Idaho State University,” Hertz said. “Interaction with departmental faculty, who are experts in their field, provides an advantage to any student who seeks it.”

The benefits of advising include direct student contact with faculty from their chosen discipline, access to up-to-date information from the department, assistance with long-range degree completion planning, opportunity to expand discipline knowledge on an informal basis, understand what is needed to stay on track to graduation and referrals and invitations to relevant learning opportunities outside of the classroom.

“With proper advising students also will benefit by developing a professional relationship with a professor who can write recommendation letters for research or internship opportunities or serve as a scholarship reference,” Hertz said. “Faculty advisors can also help with career questions and graduate school applications.”

Advisors and advisees have a shared responsibility when it comes to the advising relationship. Students can expect advisors to provide information, be accessible, encourage educational engagement and assist with attaining educational goals.

Advisors can expect students to meet with them each semester, read the catalog or website information, be prepared for the advising session, bring questions to the advising session, and to assume final responsibility for course scheduling, program planning and the successful completion of graduation requirements.

Registration assistance is available during regular business hours in the Office of the Registrar and Central Academic Advising locations in Pocatello, Idaho Falls, Meridian and Twin Falls.

For more information, contact ISU Central Academic Advising at (208) 282-3277 or email at advinfo@isu.edu.