Advising First Year Students

1. Jo Anne Huber Academic Advising Coordinator The University of Texas at Austin johuber@austin.utexas.edu NACADA Summer Institute 2013 Scottsdale, AZ Advising First Year Students Special Thanks to Chuck Lepper, Terry Musser, Kathy Stockwell, and Beth Higgins

2. Importance of the First Year “The largest proportion of institutional leaving occurs in the first year and prior to the beginning of the second year. For this reason alone, the first year has become a special object of institutional policy aimed at reducing student attrition.” V. Tinto Leaving College

3. Changing Views toward the FYE • Past view: “look to your right, then look to your left....one of you won’t be here after the first year” • Today: facilitate student success and provide support systems to help all first-year students succeed

4. View from the Past “The task of advising is concentrated in the opening days of registration and enrollment and consists of aiding students in the selection of courses.” Handbook of College and University Administrators Asa Knowles, Editor 1960

5. Today Advising: • viewed as retention tool • assists students in academic, social and career development • far more than scheduling classes

6. Characteristics of First-Year Students • Anxiety vs false sense of confidence • Interest in career preparation • Frequent isolation • Difficulty making friends • Failure to “connect” with the institution • Often underprepared for college level work • Difficulty with • time management

7. “Advising is viewed as a way to connect students to the campus and help them feel that someone is looking out for them.” George Kuh Student Success in College (2005)

8. “First-year students are dropping out of school in alarming numbers: one in four freshmen at 4-year institutions and one in two freshmen at 2-year institutions fail to return for a sophomore year.” Crisis at the Core Preparing All Students for College and Work ACT, 2004

9. 10 ReasonsWhy Students Drop-Out • Too much fun at the expense of classes and grades • A sense of not belonging; a sense of isolation, homesickness • Academically unprepared, burned-out on education • Financial constraints; low on funds • Personal family issues

10. 10 ReasonsWhy Students Drop-Out • Academic climate fit • Choice of wrong major; major not offered • Lack of advising, guidance • Demands from part-time or full-time employment • Move to a different geographic location Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.

11. “Good advising may be the single most underestimated characteristic of a successful college experience.” Richard Light

12. Generations • Traditionalists: 1934-1945 • Baby Boomers: 1946-1964 • Generation X: 1965-1980 • Generation Y/Millenials: 1981-2000 • Lancaster & Stillman, 2002

13. Characteristics of Millennials • Adaptable • Technologically savvy • Hardworking • Been Socialize to be Successful • Engaged in Numerous Activities • Interested in Social Issues • Generous Practical • Accustomed to Structuring Time, Working from Schedules and Following Rules Elam, Stratton, & Gibson (2007)

14. Characteristics of Millennials • Close to Parents who Participate in Educational Pursuits • Helicopter/Stealth Parents • May Dismiss Issues of Diversity • Stunted Interpersonal Skills • Short Attention Spans • Lack the Skills Necessary to be Critical Thinkers or Demonstrate Introspection and Self-Reflectino Elam, Stratton, & Gibson (2007)

15. Academic Advising. . . . “Provides assistance mediating the dissonance between student expectations and the realities of the educational experience.” Wes Habley, 1981 NASPA Journal

16. “Four institutional conditions stand out as supportive of retention: information/advice, support, involvement, and learning.” Tinto (1999)

17. How Can Advisors HelpFirst-Year Students? • Ensure higher education expectations are clearly articulated at secondary education level. • ID strengths and needs of before classes begin. • Establish a warm and open relationship. • Be accessible. • Teach students policies/procedures while stressing their responsibilities. • Explain program requirements to advisees.

18. How Can Advisors HelpFirst-Year Students? • Early alert warning system • Support groups for returning adults • Help students connect relevance of course curriculum to college experience and career development • Assist in designing appropriate schedules • Introduce campus resources • Make appropriate referrals

19. How Can Advisors HelpFirst-Year Students? • Explore purpose and value of college education • Aid student with time management skills • Help advisees develop study skills, overcome test anxiety, and achieve course goals.

20. How Can Advisors HelpFirst-Year Students? • Aid in developing realistic career goals • Help them make their own decisions and take responsibility for their education • Encourage them to participate in co-curricular activities

21. Delivery Systems forFirst-Year Advising • Orientation • Advising Center • Faculty Advising • Peer Advising/Mentoring • First-year seminar • Learning Communities

22. Delivery Systems forFirst-Year Advising • Residence Hall-based advising • Multicultural Centers • Interventions with at-risk students • Learning assistance centers • Early alert system

23. WHERE ARE THE POTENTIAL ADVISING INTERVENTIONS? Student applies Student accepts offer Student takes placement tests and completes online survey Student prepares for academic orientation -- first advising experience Student participates in academic orientation Student has traditional orientation before classes begin FIRST-YEAR STUDENT TIMELINE Student takes first-semester courses Student meets with assigned academic adviser Student communicates with adviser and vice versa Student plans next semester schedule Student takes second-semester courses Student communicates with adviser and vice versa Student meets with assigned academic adviser

24. What Do First-Year StudentsWant from College Staff? • Caring attitude • Efficiency • Respect • Good “customer service” • Responsiveness to needs • Enthusiasm for what they’re doing • A willingness to go the extra mile • Humor

25. What can YOUR college do to increase retention of first-year students?

26. High Impact Institutional Activities • First-Year Seminars and Experiences • Common Intellectual Experiences • Learning Communities • Writing-Intensive Courses • Collaborative Assignments & Projects • Undergraduate Research • Diversity/Global Learning • Service Learning, Community-Based Learning • Internships • Capstone Courses & Projects

27. Closing Thought “People will forget what you say. They will even forget what you do. But, they will never forget how you made them feel.” - Dr. Maya Angelou