The deadlines

Hello, I'm writing last Friday's blog today because Friday was a full day of Express Advising and my schedule was a little different. I think I've mentioned Express Advising in past posts, but basically it is walk-in advising for quick questions during "high traffic periods." Friday was a high traffic day because it was the deadline for dropping a class, electing credit/no credit, AND completing grade replacement forms.

Grade replacement is a new policy this semester, so it was another item that I have learned about since starting the full time position. If a student took a course previously and received a C- or lower, he or she can take the same course again to replace the old grade, provided he/she earns a higher grade this time around. Students can only do this for up to 10 credit hours during their time here, and only UIUC courses apply (so if a student did poorly in calc I here, he/she can't take it at another college over the summer to replace the UIUC grade).

I think I had more students come in to complete grade replacement forms on Friday than to drop a class or elect credit/no credit for a class. I was a little surprised by this, perhaps partly because I have not used these forms before since it's a new policy. So far it seems pretty popular. Since it's so new, I haven't heard anything data-wise about how many people are using the policy, but it will be interesting in the future to see how students use it and if any complications come out of the policy. If anything groundbreaking surfaces this semester, I'll let you know!

Getting to know the departments

Last semester, when I worked almost exclusively in the afternoons, I missed most of the presentations from other departments because they frequently take place during Friday morning staff meetings. Being able to hear these presentations has been a great bonus to my new full-time role.

For example, today we had advisors and directors from each major in the College of Applied Health Sciences present at our staff meeting. This was very informative and it was great to hear about the specifics of applying to each major. Up to this point, I have explained the procedures and requirements of the majors by relying on information that was available online. While this is still good information, now I feel more equipped with different "nuts and bolts" that I didn't have before. Plus, it was great to actually meet the advisors who lead the informational meetings for students interested in applying to their majors.

A few weeks ago, representatives from Crop Sciences came to our meeting. That was great because I've never had a student mention an interest in crop science. I found out that there are many different concentrations within the major, and that students don't have to work in agriculture with the degree. I was surprised to hear that sometimes students graduate with a crop sciences degree and then go on to medical or dental school. In that sense, this major is an interesting way to get involved in applied biology that can translate to many other fields. This particular meeting struck me with something new to help students think outside the box.

I'm very glad that I can attend these meetings and presentations now because I feel much more thoroughly informed! I can now explain more details to students and I know who can help them to answer further questions.