Questions to Ask College Advisors

The questions

Open any question to see why it works.

1. 1

   Can we open my degree audit and look at where it says I am off track?

   The audit is the document the registrar will use to decide whether you graduate, and it is often the only thing in the meeting that both of you can see at once. Reading it together is faster than describing your situation, and it catches the requirement you have been quietly ignoring.

2. 2

   Given what I have taken, which requirement am I most likely to miss?

   Advisors see the same mistakes repeatedly for each major, so this question converts their pattern recognition into something you can act on. The usual answers are a writing requirement, a lab science, or an upper division credit count that electives do not satisfy.

3. 3

   Which of my remaining courses are prerequisites for something else, and what happens if I take them out of order?

   One prerequisite chain missed in the second year can add a semester at the end. Ask the advisor to name the chains rather than checking each course, because the sequence, not the total credit count, is what usually delays graduation.

4. 4

   Which required courses are only offered once a year or every other year?

   This is the single most useful piece of local knowledge an advisor holds, and it rarely appears in the catalog. A course that runs only in spring, or only in odd years, has to be planned around now rather than discovered when you try to register.

5. 5

   Is the schedule I am planning too heavy, given what else I am doing?

   Tell them about the job, the commute, the sport or the caregiving before you ask. Advisors calibrate against the courses, not against your week, and two specific classes together may be known on campus as a bad pairing.

6. 6

   What are the drop and withdrawal deadlines, and what shows on my transcript on each side of them?

   There are usually two or three separate dates: one where the class disappears, one where it becomes a withdrawal, and one after which you are committed. Get the exact dates in the meeting, since this is where students lose money and grade points by a week.

7. 7

   What grade point average rules apply to me, from the major, from aid and from anything else?

   Students track one number and there are usually several: a major requirement, a satisfactory progress standard for aid, and thresholds for honors or a program. They are calculated differently, and finding out which one you are close to is the point of asking.

8. 8

   If I fail or retake this class, what happens to the original grade?

   Repeat policies vary widely: some replace the old grade, some average both, some allow it only a limited number of times across a degree. It also affects the credit count for aid, since repeated credits sometimes do not count toward full time status.

9. 9

   If I changed majors, what would carry over and how much longer would it take?

   Ask for the number of extra semesters, not encouragement. An advisor can usually estimate it in a few minutes from the audit, and the honest number is what makes the decision, particularly when aid or a visa has a time limit attached.

10. 10

    Is a minor worth it here, or would those credits do more as something else?

    Minors are often assembled from courses you would take anyway, in which case they are close to free, or they demand a language sequence and a capstone, in which case they are a second job. Ask which kind this one is before declaring it.

11. 11

    How do my transfer, dual enrollment or exam credits actually apply?

    Credits can land as general elective filler while still satisfying nothing in your major, and students only discover this in their final year. Ask which requirement each block is currently satisfying and whether any of it can be reviewed for a different placement.

12. 12

    What is the minimum credit load I need for aid, housing, insurance and anything else attached to enrollment?

    The thresholds are not identical, and dropping one course can put you below one of them without touching the others. Scholarships and health coverage often have their own definition of full time, and nobody checks it for you before you drop.

13. 13

    If I want to study abroad or take an internship term, which semester breaks my sequence the least?

    There is normally one window that fits, and it is set by the courses offered once a year rather than by your preference. Ask now, because the semester that works is often the one you have to apply for a year ahead.

14. 14

    Which professors should I take a second course with if I will need recommendation letters?

    Letters come from people who have seen you work more than once, and a strong letter requires a specific memory of you. Advisors know which faculty write carefully and which are overloaded, and planning this in the second year is far easier than requesting it in the fourth.

15. 15

    What research, internships or campus jobs do students in my position actually get?

    The words in my position matter. Ask about opportunities open to your year, your major and your eligibility rather than the general list, and ask who the contact person is, since most of these are filled through a person rather than a form.

16. 16

    Am I in good standing, and if not, what specifically do I have to do?

    Probation notices are written in institutional language and students often misread how serious they are. Ask for the requirement in plain terms, the deadline, and whether anything is automatic if it is not met.

17. 17

    What do I do that you do not handle, and who should I be talking to instead?

    Academic advisors, financial aid, the registrar, career services, disability services and faculty mentors have separate authority, and asking the wrong office wastes weeks. Ask for names, not departments, and write them down in the meeting.

18. 18

    When do I have to apply to graduate, and what most often delays it?

    Applying to graduate is a separate step with its own deadline, and missing it can push you to the next ceremony even if the coursework is finished. Advisors can also name the recurring blockers on your campus, which are usually a missing form or an unfilled residency requirement.

19. 19

    If I am considering graduate school or a professional program, what should I be doing this year rather than later?

    Prerequisites, exam timing and research experience all have to be sequenced years out, and the answer differs sharply by field. If they are not the right advisor for it, this is the question that gets you referred to the one who is.

20. 20

    What do students in my major most often wish they had done earlier?

    This gets the advisor talking from experience rather than from the catalog, and the answer tends to be concrete: a course taken too late, a relationship with a professor never built, a summer left empty. It is also a good last question because it usually runs over time in a useful way.