Academic Advising/Registration at Orientation
Advising during Academic Orientation is coordinated by Academic Advising. This department prepares all advising materials and provides it to the student’s Orientation Advisor. Orientation Advisors are professional, faculty and staff advisors who are trained to work with students across disciplines. An Orientation Advisor may not necessarily be the advisor to whom your student is assigned in the subsequent semester. At Orientation, the advising session is brief and is mainly for the purpose of planning the fall schedule. Advising may be conducted individually or in a group setting. (However, even if your student is in a group with other new students, he/she should not leave the advising session with any questions still lingering. Advisors will ask if there are questions and your student should speak up if he/she needs clarification.) Following advising, your student will be directed to one of the designated computer labs to register for class. In these labs, he/she will find staff from the Registrar’s office as well as Orientation Leaders (OL) who will help him/her with the actual class registration process.
If a student feels the need for a lengthy appointment, discussing options throughout the four years, for example, he/she should schedule a separate time on another day to meet with the Orientation Advisor. It could be better still, to wait until fall semester when the stress is lower and schedule an appointment at that time.
May I go to Advising and Registration with my son/daughter???? Parents are not permitted in the advising session or at the enrollment location. This process allows your son/daughter to make his/her first steps toward independent decision-making, with the guidance of university staff and faculty. If you have additional questions following enrollment, or you believe there is a problem, please seek out an Orientation staff member in Milton Daniel when you student returns to check-out. That individual may be able to answer your questions OR he/she can make arrangements for you to speak with the department representative. No student should leave Orientation unhappy with his/her academic schedule for fall semester!!Encourage your son/daughter to seek help until he/she is probably a very tired, but definitely a very “happy camper!”
Fall Semester Advising for Spring
Students who have not declared a major prior to Orientation are called Pre-Majors. Pre-Major students will be advised through Academic Advising until a major is declared. Pre-Major advisors are professional advisors knowledgeable about a wide variety of academic programs and can assist students in identifying an appropriate major/minor. Once a student reaches 54 or more earned hours he/she must declare a major.
Near the beginning of fall semester, if your son/daughter has declared a major, he/she will be assigned a faculty or staff professional academic advisor in the department of his/her major. The assigned advisor will assist your student in planning courses for the upcoming semesters and inform him/her of academic requirements. Your student MUST initiate advising activities, define the needs of the advising activity, and take responsibility for his/her academic performance. All students are expected to study the Undergraduate Bulletin (www.catalog.tcu.edu) to become familiar with degree and major requirements, available campus resources, and academic policies and procedures. Because advisors are assigned by major, if your student changes his/her major, he/she will be assigned a new advisor.
Good News!
Students are required to be advised their first four semesters. They will not be allowed to enroll until they have met with an academic advisor. (Literally, if your son/daughter attempts to register for classes without having met with an academic advisor, the computer will block your student from access!) Advising may be done individually or in a group setting. Students should check their TCU email account for notifications from the Registrar’s Office and their academic advisor regarding advising and enrollment. Students needing to see an advisor before one has been officially assigned, should contact Academic Advising if he/she is a pre-major or the department office of the student’s major, if he/she has declared. Advisor assignments can be found on the student’s my.tcu.edu STUDENT CENTER page.
A Final Comment
For some students and their families, the Orientation advising and registration process presents significant, but unnecessary angst. Please remember that fall semester is only 17 weeks of your student’s life! Also, and more important, remember that the campus is swarming with faculty, staff and upper-class students whose only goal in June and in August is to assist students and their families in having the best and most meaningful orientation experience possible. If you have a question, ask. If you student needs help, you or your student may ask. We are here to make the transition to college as smooth as it can possibly be!
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