How Do Academic Advisors Help Students?

The purpose of academic advising is to help students’ grow and develop by means of well-structured educational plans. This is a continuous and consistent process which is built by frequent personal encounters between the advisor and the advisee.

Academic advisors are basically professional counselors that help students to meet the standard persona of the graduated individuals. The academic advisors are an intrinsic element to the breathing organ of an academic body since they shape and develop the essential traits in students that can come handy in every walk of life.

The academic advisors plan and engage students in activities which encourage edification inside plus outside of the classroom. The properly trained students develop confidence and soft skills during this journey, which helps them to yield the best outputs, hence, the importance of academic advisors can’t be ignored.

Some of the positive influences brought by academic advisors are:

Caring Attitude towards Advisees: One of the major responsibility of an advisor is to educate himself about the credentials of each student and implement strategies accordingly. The advisor should be concerned about the student’s progress and should take the following measures:

• Assist student to find and define a career path using strategic planning.
• Provide aid to students to plan a program that answers their interests and abilities.
• Educate students about the rules and policies followed by the institute.

The role of an academic advisor is of active nature and is fast-paced enough to keep track of everyday activities.

Possess Effective Communicational Skills: An academic advisor is quite vocal about the affairs at hand and uses an accurate set of skills to provide consultancy to students. These professionals comprehend the solution and deal each student individually, as per the nature possessed by the advisee. No wonder how these professionals succeed in convincing the other party towards their betterment without any hassle.

Knowledgeable About Institutional Policies: An academic advisor stays informed with the former and the updated policies, rules, and regulations. He also interprets and reinforces linkages between a particular instructional program and the area of interest of the students. Therefore, he provides a rationale related to the future anticipated career plan which helps the student to make the right decision for the future.

Takes Keen Interest in Students’ Progress: One of the basic attributes of a seasoned academic advisor is that he stays concerned and updated about every individual student. He practices the following:

• Conducts a follow-up meeting with a student based on unsatisfactory performance such as failing or incomplete grades of past semester, poor attendance or detention affairs.
• Tries to know the student as an individual and underscore personal interests of such student.
• If a student is caught bullying others for personal gains, such as imposing tasks saying “write my essay for me UK,” devises a punishment for such browbeat students.
• Consult daily with the faculty colleagues to have knowledge about the affairs between individual teachers and students.
• Approve all educational transactions such as the timetable, registration schedules, withdrawals, graduation requirements, change of major etc.

On such grounds, an academic counselor is a necessity of an educational institute to progress its functions to the fullest. Nevertheless, these advisors give the best they can to yield positive outcomes not only for the students but also for the academic institute.