Photo Credit | Nikki Victory
The First-Generation Student Organization held an event titled “Academic Advising 101” on Tuesday, Oct. 15 where select academic advisors gave students advice and answered any questions they had.
The Assistant Director for Trio SSS, Lindsey Riedmueller, gave advice to first-generation students on how to have the best advising experience possible. Some of the things she mentioned were to feel comfortable asking questions or for help, to develop a relationship with your advisor, and to be honest. She made a point to mention that there is no judgement from the academic advisors on campus and that speaking up is vital to your academic success.
Other advisors who attended the event include Lyndsay Simpson, the advisor for incoming freshman and many College of Business students, and Katie Hook, the faculty advisor for the College of Business.
Arguably the most important bit of information provided by the advisors was what a student needs to do in the event of dropping or failing a class. Simpson stated that students need to work hard, retake classes, and should not drop a class without consulting both their advisor and financial aid first.
A new federal requirement by the United States Department of Education is that students receiving federal student aid be enrolled in courses that are applicable toward their degree. This is called “Tech on Track” and means that students enrolled in coursework not applicable toward their degree requirements could see their financial aid package distributed or cancelled.
Students are advised to come to their advising appointments prepared and with some knowledge of what classes they are interested in taking the upcoming semester. It is also good to be flexible if there is an issue building the desired schedule.
For questions or concerns, contact the Academic Advising Center at (479) 964-0843 or adviseme@atu.edu.
