What a semester! This internship experience has been highly enjoyable and educational. The office environment has been fantastic and all of my coworkers have been very welcoming since I began in May. I truly feel like I fit in at DGS, even though I am only there for 3 hours per day.
As I've mentioned in my Midterm and Final (upcoming) reports this semester, a good amount of EOL course material has complemented my experience at DGS. From readings about diversity to discussions about relationships in a student affairs workplace, I felt that EOL prepared me well for the internship. On the other hand, I felt that I could engage more in my EOL courses because of my internship experience; I have more concrete examples that help to shape my understanding of course material and discussions.
I am very much looking forward to continue working with my students next semester. I think it will be very rewarding to see the students I met over the summer progress to their second year at the University of Illinois. Some will declare majors while others will remain in DGS. Still others will transfer to another institution. I have enjoyed working with each unique student while providing them with resources to make appropriate decisions for themselves. I am very grateful for this opportunity and to everyone who helped me get started in this position. This experience has solidified my initial career interest upon starting the EOL program, and I am looking forward to future endeavors in this field.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Time to catch up
Express advising is over, registration is (sort of) over, and we have had a week long break. Now the office is much calmer, and at the beginning of this week I almost didn't know what to do with myself.
But then I realized that I had plenty to do! I had some emails that I still needed to follow-up, so I tackled that first. This presented "one of those moments" to me when I more closely examined an email that had been forwarded to me from the math advisor. One of my students had emailed her with a question, and in the process of their exchange, the student mentioned that he had never received credit for a course that was a prerequisite for his current course. She told him about how problematic this was because it could affect his chances of being accepted to his desired major. She also said that I must not have talked to him about this since he hadn't done it. That set off some alarm bells for me and I almost panicked...
...Fortunately, I had written it all down during summer registration. I wrote that he should register for the prereq course unless he earned proficiency credit. A wave of relief washed over me...what if I had made such a bad mistake that it prevented a student from being able to apply to their desired major?! I followed up by email with the student, and I think everything will work out. This was a definite learning moment that solidified the necessity of taking lots of notes!
I also spent more time this week discussing situations with colleagues. I really enjoy talking with everyone in the office because they give me solid advice and sometimes reinforce my own ideas about how to approach new situations. For example, I spent a great deal of time yesterday meeting with another advisor who had previously met with a seemingly troublesome student from another department. She filled me in on what happened in her meeting and what her concerns were, and I was nervous to meet with this student but she helped me to anticipate what the meeting might be like. The student did not show up to our appointment, but came in later to schedule another appointment with me for that same day, and did not come to that appointment either. Supposedly he is coming in Monday, but since he has "no-showed" repeatedly, he will have to meet with a director. I think the appointment would have been a very solid learning moment for me, but at least my conversations with the other advisor showed me that it's a good idea to expect the unexpected (or at least, the highly unusual student situations).
Other than that, I performed the usual administrative tasks, such as sending a newsletter and gathering information for my next newsletter. I also spent some time learning about some tidbits that I did not know, such as when students need to re-take a math placement test and the final exam policy for more than 2 exams in one day. It was a very informative week!
But then I realized that I had plenty to do! I had some emails that I still needed to follow-up, so I tackled that first. This presented "one of those moments" to me when I more closely examined an email that had been forwarded to me from the math advisor. One of my students had emailed her with a question, and in the process of their exchange, the student mentioned that he had never received credit for a course that was a prerequisite for his current course. She told him about how problematic this was because it could affect his chances of being accepted to his desired major. She also said that I must not have talked to him about this since he hadn't done it. That set off some alarm bells for me and I almost panicked...
...Fortunately, I had written it all down during summer registration. I wrote that he should register for the prereq course unless he earned proficiency credit. A wave of relief washed over me...what if I had made such a bad mistake that it prevented a student from being able to apply to their desired major?! I followed up by email with the student, and I think everything will work out. This was a definite learning moment that solidified the necessity of taking lots of notes!
I also spent more time this week discussing situations with colleagues. I really enjoy talking with everyone in the office because they give me solid advice and sometimes reinforce my own ideas about how to approach new situations. For example, I spent a great deal of time yesterday meeting with another advisor who had previously met with a seemingly troublesome student from another department. She filled me in on what happened in her meeting and what her concerns were, and I was nervous to meet with this student but she helped me to anticipate what the meeting might be like. The student did not show up to our appointment, but came in later to schedule another appointment with me for that same day, and did not come to that appointment either. Supposedly he is coming in Monday, but since he has "no-showed" repeatedly, he will have to meet with a director. I think the appointment would have been a very solid learning moment for me, but at least my conversations with the other advisor showed me that it's a good idea to expect the unexpected (or at least, the highly unusual student situations).
Other than that, I performed the usual administrative tasks, such as sending a newsletter and gathering information for my next newsletter. I also spent some time learning about some tidbits that I did not know, such as when students need to re-take a math placement test and the final exam policy for more than 2 exams in one day. It was a very informative week!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
eXpress
Wow, the past couple of weeks have been very interesting. "Go-go-go" is the best way to describe it...students lined up, filling the lobby to meet with an advisor about Spring registration questions, emails flowing with registration questions (even some that are responding to an email requesting them to NOT email me this week because of Express Advising...go figure :) ).
Anyway, the Spring registration experience has illustrated one of the challenges of student academic life at a large institution such as ours. This morning I was informed that 3 of the most-needed courses were already full, and there were still two days left of freshman registration (today and tomorrow). The result for today (and presumably tomorrow) was a flood of emails and visits in which students were very stressed because they were unable to register for anything they need for their potential majors. It's a difficult conversation because there is nothing that we advisors can really do to help besides encourage them to check for openings until the first week of class. Students often think that we can "get them into" classes, but we can't...it's difficult to talk through their frustration with them in these cases. If a class is full, the class is full, and it's not fun to not be able to help.
I am confident that courses will work out. Somehow everyone eventually manages to get the chem, calc, and econ they need. But for students who are not familiar with the nature of registration here, it can be pretty nerve-wracking. I know that I helped put some minds at ease this week, but others will continue to worry until those seats open up.
Anyway, the Spring registration experience has illustrated one of the challenges of student academic life at a large institution such as ours. This morning I was informed that 3 of the most-needed courses were already full, and there were still two days left of freshman registration (today and tomorrow). The result for today (and presumably tomorrow) was a flood of emails and visits in which students were very stressed because they were unable to register for anything they need for their potential majors. It's a difficult conversation because there is nothing that we advisors can really do to help besides encourage them to check for openings until the first week of class. Students often think that we can "get them into" classes, but we can't...it's difficult to talk through their frustration with them in these cases. If a class is full, the class is full, and it's not fun to not be able to help.
I am confident that courses will work out. Somehow everyone eventually manages to get the chem, calc, and econ they need. But for students who are not familiar with the nature of registration here, it can be pretty nerve-wracking. I know that I helped put some minds at ease this week, but others will continue to worry until those seats open up.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Update
To be honest, nothing super exciting happened during the past week. It's just been the same back-to-back scheduling/registration meetings and it's keeping us all very busy! This coming week will be a little bit different because starting Thursday we will have Express Advising (walk-in, meet with first available advisor, quick appointments) and that will continue each day through next week.
Express advising requires you to shift your style a little bit since meetings are short, you usually don't know the students you meet with because it's walk-in/first-available, and you don't really have much time to review their file before meeting with them. A lot of the time express advising involves just basic questions, which is very nice, but other times it can get complicated, especially since we don't have as much time to work with. I'll give you an Express update next week!
Express advising requires you to shift your style a little bit since meetings are short, you usually don't know the students you meet with because it's walk-in/first-available, and you don't really have much time to review their file before meeting with them. A lot of the time express advising involves just basic questions, which is very nice, but other times it can get complicated, especially since we don't have as much time to work with. I'll give you an Express update next week!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Student/Parent
Here is my interesting event of the week.
A parent emailed me pretending to be the student. This was pretty frustrating to me. I understand that many parents now are super-involved in their kids' academic lives...but why couldn't the father just tell the student what to write, and send it from the student's email address? Or, if you insist on pretending, maybe don't CC the student so I can see it...
I responded to the student at his university address.
I found out later that the student's parents had been in before. They signed a FERPA waiver so that they can sit in on appointments and request the student's grades to be sent to them directly. Apparently his mother argued for an extended time with our records person, insisting that we automatically always send grades out so they didn't need paperwork (of course, colleges do not send grades to anyone but the student except for special exceptions).
Interestingly, once parents sign that waiver, it stays in effect until the student dissolves it. So technically, the father could have emailed me as himself and I could have answered him - no need to pretend.
This was my first "parent situation." I am actually most nervous about working with parents in this job. There are a lot of things at stake, especially because of FERPA. I'm nervous about slipping and accidentally revealing something specific...I don't want to let myself get "tricked" into saying something (like a parent posing to be a student to get info from me!). Another example that makes me nervous is when a parent called another advisor and the advisor said that she could only answer the question generally, and that the student would have to ask the specific stuff himself. The mother argued for a minute but then agreed to put her son on the phone. Well, during the course of the advisor's conversation with the son, the mother accidentally blurted out a question - she was on the other phone, listening! I know I will need more practice with parent scenarios in order to stop being so nervous...but I would definitely prefer to avoid the practice!
A parent emailed me pretending to be the student. This was pretty frustrating to me. I understand that many parents now are super-involved in their kids' academic lives...but why couldn't the father just tell the student what to write, and send it from the student's email address? Or, if you insist on pretending, maybe don't CC the student so I can see it...
I responded to the student at his university address.
I found out later that the student's parents had been in before. They signed a FERPA waiver so that they can sit in on appointments and request the student's grades to be sent to them directly. Apparently his mother argued for an extended time with our records person, insisting that we automatically always send grades out so they didn't need paperwork (of course, colleges do not send grades to anyone but the student except for special exceptions).
Interestingly, once parents sign that waiver, it stays in effect until the student dissolves it. So technically, the father could have emailed me as himself and I could have answered him - no need to pretend.
This was my first "parent situation." I am actually most nervous about working with parents in this job. There are a lot of things at stake, especially because of FERPA. I'm nervous about slipping and accidentally revealing something specific...I don't want to let myself get "tricked" into saying something (like a parent posing to be a student to get info from me!). Another example that makes me nervous is when a parent called another advisor and the advisor said that she could only answer the question generally, and that the student would have to ask the specific stuff himself. The mother argued for a minute but then agreed to put her son on the phone. Well, during the course of the advisor's conversation with the son, the mother accidentally blurted out a question - she was on the other phone, listening! I know I will need more practice with parent scenarios in order to stop being so nervous...but I would definitely prefer to avoid the practice!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Tough conversations, great environment
This past week exposed me to both difficult conversations and wonderful, supportive conversations.
I met with a couple of students this week who were facing high levels of anxiety regarding their major and career paths. One student was extremely worried that she will be "too late" in declaring a major if she doesn't decide right now, but she has absolutely no idea what she wants to study. I tried to convince her that that's ok, especially because she is a first-semester freshman, but I don't think she bought it. She wants to make sure that every course will "count" for something, which is difficult when she has no real direction yet. She was very stressed about having a course on her schedule that "only" counts for elective credit. The conversation was pretty tough, and I ended up referring her to the Career Center.
The hardest conversation I've had so far, though, was with a student who really needed to visit the counseling center. He had become depressed, and a large part of his depression seemed to be related to his progress toward his desired major. It was by far the hardest meeting I've had at DGS since I've started, but I would prefer not to go into details on this blog. I can talk a little more about it during our next meeting. This meeting reminded me of an article I read for my upcoming Interview paper for EOL 583, in which the authors found a connection between career counseling and emotional issues (Fouad et al., 2006).
On the other end of the spectrum, Friday really solidified for me the strong support network that is present in our office. First, we had a "going away party" for one of our advisors who is moving to a different advising position on campus. Everyone brought a vegetarian dish because she is vegetarian and took turns telling everyone a memory or fun thing about her. It was very touching and kind of sad, but it was great because it showed how everyone comes together to support each other.
I also blocked out some time in my schedule on Friday to meet and talk with the newly hired full-time advisor. It was a really good conversation that started with him asking me questions about what helped me adjust to the fast pace as a new advisor. We ended up talking for an hour and a half, and other advisors popped in now and then to contribute stories and advice. Afterward, the new advisor told me how much he appreciated the conversation and that he really felt part of the team. What a great way to round out the week! The talk reminded me a little bit of the Renn and Hodges (2007) article from our 583 class because it illustrated experiences of new professionals. I think the new advisor and I were able to share the kinds of experiences presented in that article because we are both new. It is very encouraging to make that connection.
I met with a couple of students this week who were facing high levels of anxiety regarding their major and career paths. One student was extremely worried that she will be "too late" in declaring a major if she doesn't decide right now, but she has absolutely no idea what she wants to study. I tried to convince her that that's ok, especially because she is a first-semester freshman, but I don't think she bought it. She wants to make sure that every course will "count" for something, which is difficult when she has no real direction yet. She was very stressed about having a course on her schedule that "only" counts for elective credit. The conversation was pretty tough, and I ended up referring her to the Career Center.
The hardest conversation I've had so far, though, was with a student who really needed to visit the counseling center. He had become depressed, and a large part of his depression seemed to be related to his progress toward his desired major. It was by far the hardest meeting I've had at DGS since I've started, but I would prefer not to go into details on this blog. I can talk a little more about it during our next meeting. This meeting reminded me of an article I read for my upcoming Interview paper for EOL 583, in which the authors found a connection between career counseling and emotional issues (Fouad et al., 2006).
On the other end of the spectrum, Friday really solidified for me the strong support network that is present in our office. First, we had a "going away party" for one of our advisors who is moving to a different advising position on campus. Everyone brought a vegetarian dish because she is vegetarian and took turns telling everyone a memory or fun thing about her. It was very touching and kind of sad, but it was great because it showed how everyone comes together to support each other.
I also blocked out some time in my schedule on Friday to meet and talk with the newly hired full-time advisor. It was a really good conversation that started with him asking me questions about what helped me adjust to the fast pace as a new advisor. We ended up talking for an hour and a half, and other advisors popped in now and then to contribute stories and advice. Afterward, the new advisor told me how much he appreciated the conversation and that he really felt part of the team. What a great way to round out the week! The talk reminded me a little bit of the Renn and Hodges (2007) article from our 583 class because it illustrated experiences of new professionals. I think the new advisor and I were able to share the kinds of experiences presented in that article because we are both new. It is very encouraging to make that connection.
Friday, October 15, 2010
Mid semester fun
Hi! I'm back to my blog this week, but just barely! As I mentioned at our meeting last night, things have been pretty wild over here in the advising office. Midterms, deadline to drop a course or sign up for credit/no credit, and spring course listings to plan for next semester...quite a lot going on!
As busy as the past couple of weeks have been (and will continue to be for another couple), I have been able to reflect a little bit on what has been happening. I seem to learn the most when things get busy over here. Before last week, I didn't know about many items/procedures/factoids, such as:
- how to fill out and approve a credit/no credit request
- when a student needs to retake a credit/no credit course
- how to approve concurrent enrollment (e.g., a student wants to take a course at Parkland while taking U of I courses at the same time...many things to consider such as travel, tuition, and credit hour requirements)
- that some 2nd 8 weeks courses require an application and may delay things for a student
- etc!!!
Had to learn fast!
But, this is good - I feel much more confident now than I did even one week ago (although I still ask a lot of questions!).
Other challenges have also arisen during this time - I have had some somewhat difficult conversations with students regarding grades and academic progress. Some students are very stressed about realizing that they really need to have a "backup plan" in case they are not accepted to their desired major. Some students realize that they need to drop a course even though it is required for their intended major, which creates some additional stress about future plans.
I have talked through many options with students during the past few weeks. Some leave my office very relieved ("ohmygosh thankyousomuch!!! I hope you get paid enough for this!"). Others leave as stressed as they came in. It's difficult when none of the possible options are appealing to a student, but I have to be confident that I gave them all of the information that they need to make the best decision for themselves.
Right now I'm wrapping up a busy afternoon of Express Advising. Challenging, yes, since many students are at a loss for what to do about failing a course and the deadline to drop is an hour away. But it is very fulfilling at the same time because most students seem to appreciate at least having the opportunity to talk through their thoughts and get on track to making some good decisions. And I enjoy all of those conversations.
As busy as the past couple of weeks have been (and will continue to be for another couple), I have been able to reflect a little bit on what has been happening. I seem to learn the most when things get busy over here. Before last week, I didn't know about many items/procedures/factoids, such as:
- how to fill out and approve a credit/no credit request
- when a student needs to retake a credit/no credit course
- how to approve concurrent enrollment (e.g., a student wants to take a course at Parkland while taking U of I courses at the same time...many things to consider such as travel, tuition, and credit hour requirements)
- that some 2nd 8 weeks courses require an application and may delay things for a student
- etc!!!
Had to learn fast!
But, this is good - I feel much more confident now than I did even one week ago (although I still ask a lot of questions!).
Other challenges have also arisen during this time - I have had some somewhat difficult conversations with students regarding grades and academic progress. Some students are very stressed about realizing that they really need to have a "backup plan" in case they are not accepted to their desired major. Some students realize that they need to drop a course even though it is required for their intended major, which creates some additional stress about future plans.
I have talked through many options with students during the past few weeks. Some leave my office very relieved ("ohmygosh thankyousomuch!!! I hope you get paid enough for this!"). Others leave as stressed as they came in. It's difficult when none of the possible options are appealing to a student, but I have to be confident that I gave them all of the information that they need to make the best decision for themselves.
Right now I'm wrapping up a busy afternoon of Express Advising. Challenging, yes, since many students are at a loss for what to do about failing a course and the deadline to drop is an hour away. But it is very fulfilling at the same time because most students seem to appreciate at least having the opportunity to talk through their thoughts and get on track to making some good decisions. And I enjoy all of those conversations.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Reflection on CMN Lunch
Yesterday (Friday), DGS had a lunch meeting with the Department of Communication (CMN). Professors and representatives from CMN gave an interactive presentation about their undergraduate major, minor, and concentrations. It was helpful to me as a newcomer because it gave me a better understanding of the nuances of the CMN major. I will definitely be able to use this information with many of my students.
One aspect of the meeting that jumped out to me in particular was a conversation regarding student expectations. The presenter was enthusiastically sharing with us about the flexibility of the CMN major, taking pride in the idea that students can do "anything" with a major in CMN. While this idea is appealing to most of us since flexibility is a very good thing for many undecided students, one advisor responded with an interesting point. He pointed out that many current students don't necessarily see the value of a flexible program when they are undecided; they want to know EXACTLY what kind of job they will be able to get with their major. Many students almost have a fear about future job possibilities, so they would prefer to major in something that has a clear, linear path to a specific career or type of career.
This idea led to an interesting conversation during the meeting because it highlighted a key advising and teaching challenge: professors/instructors and advisors see the great value in flexible majors because of the transferable skills they provide, but many incoming students may not recognize this value until it's too late (if ever), because they pursued a "safer" option regardless of whether their option reflected a true academic interest. It is sometimes difficult to convince students that it's ok - even preferred - to follow their passion because of other pressures to land a high-paying job.
One aspect of the meeting that jumped out to me in particular was a conversation regarding student expectations. The presenter was enthusiastically sharing with us about the flexibility of the CMN major, taking pride in the idea that students can do "anything" with a major in CMN. While this idea is appealing to most of us since flexibility is a very good thing for many undecided students, one advisor responded with an interesting point. He pointed out that many current students don't necessarily see the value of a flexible program when they are undecided; they want to know EXACTLY what kind of job they will be able to get with their major. Many students almost have a fear about future job possibilities, so they would prefer to major in something that has a clear, linear path to a specific career or type of career.
This idea led to an interesting conversation during the meeting because it highlighted a key advising and teaching challenge: professors/instructors and advisors see the great value in flexible majors because of the transferable skills they provide, but many incoming students may not recognize this value until it's too late (if ever), because they pursued a "safer" option regardless of whether their option reflected a true academic interest. It is sometimes difficult to convince students that it's ok - even preferred - to follow their passion because of other pressures to land a high-paying job.
Friday, September 24, 2010
Some new things
I'm going to try to update this on Fridays from now on, so that I can more easily reflect back on each week. So this is the only week that I will have two posts.
I just finished up an interesting conversation with two co-workers about the Millennial generation...quite reflective of a reading I used in my Student Affairs Functional Area paper, which noted that this generation tends to have somewhat of a sense of self-entitlement (Swanson, 2006). These two co-workers experienced this phenomenon separately today with students, and I thought this illustrated Swanson's notion that this generation can sometimes present new and unique challenges to advisors and other academic professionals.
This week I had a couple of difficult but productive meetings with students...it can be challenging to explain to students that their plans may not be realistic when they come in all excited about their new ideas. I love this job because I love helping students figure out how to pursue their interests and how to map out the beginnings of their academic career, but it can be tough to lay out the drawbacks (or impossibilities in some cases, like for students who decide too late that they want to apply to the college of business but have not taken the econ requirements).
I did a little marketing this week. Our lobby serves as an art gallery, and I met with the student committee in charge of the gallery about gathering student artwork for this semester. I'm working with another advisor to advertise our call for submissions, and we will eventually review all of the work and select new works to be displayed. This is a great way for students to receive recognition for their work, since so many students visit the advising center each day.
I just finished up an interesting conversation with two co-workers about the Millennial generation...quite reflective of a reading I used in my Student Affairs Functional Area paper, which noted that this generation tends to have somewhat of a sense of self-entitlement (Swanson, 2006). These two co-workers experienced this phenomenon separately today with students, and I thought this illustrated Swanson's notion that this generation can sometimes present new and unique challenges to advisors and other academic professionals.
This week I had a couple of difficult but productive meetings with students...it can be challenging to explain to students that their plans may not be realistic when they come in all excited about their new ideas. I love this job because I love helping students figure out how to pursue their interests and how to map out the beginnings of their academic career, but it can be tough to lay out the drawbacks (or impossibilities in some cases, like for students who decide too late that they want to apply to the college of business but have not taken the econ requirements).
I did a little marketing this week. Our lobby serves as an art gallery, and I met with the student committee in charge of the gallery about gathering student artwork for this semester. I'm working with another advisor to advertise our call for submissions, and we will eventually review all of the work and select new works to be displayed. This is a great way for students to receive recognition for their work, since so many students visit the advising center each day.
Monday, September 20, 2010
Inaugural Internship Post...
This is my first "journal entry" of the semester, so this week I will give the basics of what I've been up to so far during my internship at DGS.
As you know, I began the internship over Summer '10. Summer was such a learning experience for me; I didn't know ANYTHING about the different undergraduate majors or 1000s of courses, so I spent a few weeks training and shadowing other academic advisors to get a feel for everything. I got the basics down, learned who to turn to with certain questions, and then led my first small group orientation meeting and individual registration appointments. I had to learn a large volume of information FAST, and I was definitely a little nervous during the first week, but I am so glad I had the summer experience before I began the course-credit internship this semester. I already knew everyone in the office, I already had established relationships with my students from the summer, and I went into the semester with a baseline of knowledge about how undergraduate academics work on this campus. The summer experience was essential to my current position.
I work 10 unpaid/course credit hours per week, and 5 additional paid hours outside of the official 589 Internship. My days are structured differently depending on how many students set appointments with me. During times when I don't have appointments, I often spend time asking coworkers questions and talking with them about general items. For example, last week I spent time asking another advisor about how, when, and where to refer students to other services such as counseling or tutoring. I also spend a fair amount of time reviewing students' files and preparing materials when I know I have an appointment lined up - I want to give students the impression that I am thoroughly immersed in their questions/concerns/experiences because that is how my first-year advisor impressed me and led me to consider this career in the first place. I think it's important for students to feel like someone is really dedicated to their progress, especially at an institution this size where it can sometimes be difficult to figure out the appropriate office to turn to.
I also may be helping with DGSociety, which is a student group led by DGS students. I don't have many details on this role at this point, but I will provide an update through another post.
This month, I have also been helping to advertise for the upcoming Majors and Minors Fair by contacting local radio and TV stations. I'll be attending the fair next week to help out.
So that's the basic gist of my role so far in this internship. No two days are exactly alike!
As you know, I began the internship over Summer '10. Summer was such a learning experience for me; I didn't know ANYTHING about the different undergraduate majors or 1000s of courses, so I spent a few weeks training and shadowing other academic advisors to get a feel for everything. I got the basics down, learned who to turn to with certain questions, and then led my first small group orientation meeting and individual registration appointments. I had to learn a large volume of information FAST, and I was definitely a little nervous during the first week, but I am so glad I had the summer experience before I began the course-credit internship this semester. I already knew everyone in the office, I already had established relationships with my students from the summer, and I went into the semester with a baseline of knowledge about how undergraduate academics work on this campus. The summer experience was essential to my current position.
I work 10 unpaid/course credit hours per week, and 5 additional paid hours outside of the official 589 Internship. My days are structured differently depending on how many students set appointments with me. During times when I don't have appointments, I often spend time asking coworkers questions and talking with them about general items. For example, last week I spent time asking another advisor about how, when, and where to refer students to other services such as counseling or tutoring. I also spend a fair amount of time reviewing students' files and preparing materials when I know I have an appointment lined up - I want to give students the impression that I am thoroughly immersed in their questions/concerns/experiences because that is how my first-year advisor impressed me and led me to consider this career in the first place. I think it's important for students to feel like someone is really dedicated to their progress, especially at an institution this size where it can sometimes be difficult to figure out the appropriate office to turn to.
I also may be helping with DGSociety, which is a student group led by DGS students. I don't have many details on this role at this point, but I will provide an update through another post.
This month, I have also been helping to advertise for the upcoming Majors and Minors Fair by contacting local radio and TV stations. I'll be attending the fair next week to help out.
So that's the basic gist of my role so far in this internship. No two days are exactly alike!
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