Advisor and Advisee Responsibilities
The role of your advisor is to assist you with educational choices. When
you meet with your advisor, you will be expected to have a completed schedule
with suitable alternate courses for your advisor to review. You should also
come prepared with any questions you may have regarding courses (what a
course is about, any prerequisites you may need, how often a course is offered,
etc.), degree requirements, or academic policies or procedures. Advisors
cannot be experts on all academic programs or aspects relating to a student's
career at UH Hilo, such as financial aid, employment, etc., so an advisor
may need to refer you to another office or individual for assistance with
some matters.
In addition to course selection, an advisor should be able to assess your
progress toward meeting degree requirements. Ultimately, however, the student
is responsible for making sure that all degree requirements are met, so
it is important that you read and follow the requirements and policies described
in the UH Hilo Catalog.
Academic Advisors
- Are dedicated to the advising process and exhibit a caring attitude toward advisees
- Are accessible to students
- Help students clarify career/life goals as well as education goals
- Are familiar with institutional regulations, policies and procedures especially as they relate to academic and/or graduation requirements
- Monitor progress toward educational and career goals
- Assist students in selecting courses that reflect individual interests and abilities
- Assist students in decision-making skills
- Refer students to other appropriate campus resources
- Participate in advisor training sessions to keep informed and current
Advisees
- Recognize that advising is a shared responsibility and accept final responsibility for all decisions
- Clarify personal values, abilities and goals
- Prepare for advising sessions and bring relevant materials when contacting the advisor
- Contact and make appointment with the advisor when required or when in need of assistance
- Become knowledgeable about policies, procedures and requirements, i.e. add/drop deadlines, graduation, and general education policies
How to make the most of your advising appointment
- If you have a faculty advisor, be sure to check his or her office hours for the semester and plan on getting advised during that time.
- Maintain an "Advising Portfolio" containing the paperwork listed below and bring it with you to advising appointments:
- the name and contact information of your faculty or academic advisor
- all educational plans, including your educational and career goals
- an updated print out of your web transcript from MYUH portal (optional)
- copies of important forms like declaration/change of major/program forms, requirement modifications, etc.
- any record of a visit with your academic advisor
- the course catalog for the year you entered UH Hilo
- your Bachelor's Degree Planbook
- an updated checklist of your general education requirements
- an updated checklist of your graduation requirements
- an updated checklist of your major requirements from the school year you declared
- If you're able to create a schedule for the next semester on your own, bring it with you to your appointment and discuss it with your advisor.
- Take some time before your appointment to write down any questions you've
always wanted to ask about your general education, graduation, and major
requirements.
- Spend some time in your appointment getting to know your advisor and let them know a little about who you are and what your educational and career goals are.