Preparing Students for Meeting

How to have students prepare for the advising session

Have students complete the steps below prior to your meeting

  • Check their midterm grades and syllabi to see how much of grade still to be determined  

  • Remind first year students to have AP/IB and dual enrollment scores and transcripts sent to Ithaca College registrar, and to note these in their plans. 

  • Have transcript(s) for courses taken at any other schools sent to the IC registrar and note these in their plans. 

  • Check their scores on math and any language placement tests before making their wish list for the coming semester. 

  • Watch the how-to videos and do a degree evaluation (and What If) on their own to note progress and impact of adding a minor, changing ICC theme, etc. 

  • If your major has a published four-year plan for sequence of courses, have advisees compare their progress towards the degree with the provided schematic and  make note of any differences to discuss in meeting. 

  • If your major does not have a published four-year plan for sequence of courses: have advisees draft a map of course work for each remaining semester to ensure on-time graduation and desired experiences such as study abroad and internships. (Degree Planner tool video or Mapping document)  

  • Make a wish list of courses for next semester that includes ICC, major and minor, with CRNs and modality noted. Come with third and fourth choice back up plans for each course, especially if first- or second-year student. 

  • Go beyond course titles and read the descriptions.

  • Take note of PALs remote courses (health, wellness, credits!) as well as ICIC courses (integrative learning 1-credits)  

  • Moderate time spent online: Don’t schedule too many back-to-back online courses to mitigate screen fatigue 

  • Prevent modality switching issues: Leave enough time to switch between online and in-person classes, given that there might not be space on campus for them to attend an online class 

Have students complete and submit an "advising form" (created by you or your department) 24 hours in advance of their appointment: midterm grades, goals, courses they want to take. Some faculty review these and compare to Degreeworks in advance and jot questions to maximize face time during appointment. (Sample IC pre-advising form). 

Some sample forms include: