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!
Friday, October 29, 2010
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.
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