Three Reasons to Communicate with an Advisor

It’s Advising Week – an excellent time to connect with an advisor.  Here are three reasons why –

  1. Confirm the program of study you are pursing aligns with your academic and career goals.

What are your academic goals?  What are your career goals?  Share these goals with an advisor.  Indicate the program of study you are pursuing.  Discuss whether or not the program identified is an appropriate choice to support you with achieving your goals.  Discuss your plan for achieving your goals.  Don’t have a plan – work with your advisor on developing one.

  1. Review your academic performance.

How are you doing in your courses?  Are you making appropriate progress towards earning your certificate or degree or completing courses for the reason(s) you are attending NOVA?  Through NOVA Connect, students can view their grades and an advisement report.  The report indicates requirements that have and have not been satisfied for a certificate/degree of interest.  It also indicates courses that can be used to satisfy program requirements.  Prior to enrolling in courses each semester it is a good idea to review your report.  Confirm the report indicates the correct certificate/degree.  Review requirements and check the progress you are making towards completion.  If you have questions about the program, concerns about grades, or any of the information provided on the report – share questions and discuss concerns with an advisor.

  1. Identify challenges you have encountered and discuss solutions to address the challenges.

How would you describe this semester?  Are you earning the grades you intended to earn?  Are you making steady progress towards completion of a certificate/degree?  Are you making progress towards achieving your goals?  NOVA offers many services and resources to support students.  Communicate with an advisor about the challenges you are or have encountered.  An advisor can work with you to address challenges, connect you to appropriate resources, and provide referrals when appropriate.

Refer to the following website for information on how to connect with an advisor: https://www.nvcc.edu/advising/my-advisor.html.

Don’t forget, in addition to daily blog posts, NOVA Online is offering a lunchtime webinar series this week focusing on topics to help you with preparing for your next semester.  All webinars are thirty minutes and begin at 12:15 pm.   Learn more about the series and register at https://nvcceli.wufoo.com/forms/q16k19iv1fjyzmb/