The mission of academic advising at Rhodes is to promote student learning. Each entering student is assigned a liberal arts academic advisor, who will function in that capacity until the student formally declares a major. This must be done prior to the registration period of the spring semester of the sophomore year. At that point, a faculty advisor from the major department is assigned to or selected by the student.
Assisted by the academic advisor, the student learns:
- To understand the nature of a liberal arts education
- To assess their strengths and weaknesses, challenges, and areas for growth.
- To formulate educational and career goals
- To plan a course of action to achieve those goals
I. Guidelines for the Student Advisee
- Realize that final responsibility for meeting Degree or Foundation Requirements rests with the student.
- Prepare adequately for each advising session.
- Make preliminary course selections prior to registration advising appointments.
- With the assistance of the advisor and Career Services, clarify personal values, abilities, interests, and goals.
- Become knowledgeable about and observe institutional policies, procedures, and requirements. This requires a careful reading of the College Catalogue.
- Contact and make an appointment with the advisor when in need of assistance or when required. If the student finds it impossible to keep the appointment, notify the advisor before the scheduled appointment.
- Maintain a personal advising folder and take it to every advising appointment. Documents placed in this folder might include grade reports, declaration of major forms, course plan, and other documents related to the student’s academic record.
- Follow through on actions identified during each advising session.
- Keep the advisor informed about academic achievements, difficulties, and other factors that could influence the student’s academic career.
- Declare a major no later than the spring semester of the sophomore year and choose a new advisor if necessary.
- Evaluate the advising system, when requested, in order to strengthen the advising process.
- Accept final responsibility for all decisions.