December 2004

Advising helps students chart academic course

Tammy Hoyer is assistant director of Advising Services. (Debbie Aldridge/UC Davis)

With the fall quarter coming to a close, many students may be reflecting on where they are academically and where they would like to go from here. UC Davis offers an array of advising options tailored to fit students at various points in their academic career.

"We've made advising diverse because this is a big, diverse campus and we wanted to appeal to students in a wide variety of ways," says Tammy Hoyer, assistant director of Advising Services.

Most first-year students attend Summer Advising, a program that provides newcomers advice on degree requirements, scheduling classes, placement exams and more. But as students progress in their studies, they may find themselves needing more help.

Students are encouraged to see a faculty adviser at least once a quarter during their first year and in the final quarters leading up to graduation. On hand in the undergraduate colleges and the Division of Biological Sciences, these advisers can take on the role of mentor, helping students with their choice of major, career options, research opportunities and preparing for graduate school.

Peer advisers 'speak the same lingo'

First- and second-year students, however, tend to favor the help of peer advisers -- students who are trained to advise fellow students. "Students speak to students. They speak the same lingo," Hoyer says. "(Peer advising) does bridge a generation gap."

Peer adviser Justina Shih, right, says students seem to gain confidence in their academic planning after talking with her . (Debbie Aldridge/UC Davis)

Justina Shih, a third-year communication major originally from Hong Kong, says as a first-year student she felt confused, but it seemed to her that other students knew what they were doing and where they were going.

"I just felt like I needed someone to talk to," she says. "I needed help."

So Shih sought the advice of a peer adviser in the residence halls who helped her choose courses and register for classes.

Shih now helps other students as an academic peer adviser in the Department of Communication. "When I applied for this job, I remembered how helpful (the peer advising) was, and I wanted to be able to help the community like that," she says.

Students who come to her generally know the direction they need to take, Shih says, but they seem to gain confidence in their decisions by talking with her.

Specific peer advising programs

Here are some examples of peer-based advising programs:

• Located just inside the doors of South Hall, the building that houses Advising Services, The First Resort is a student-staffed information desk where students can get advice on scheduling classes, learn where to get tutoring help, get help with registration, and find out how and where to get more detailed assistance. Its services are available Mondays through Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Peer advisers from The First Resort also work with student advisers in the undergraduate deans' offices to provide advising in the dining commons and tutoring and advising in the residence halls during the late afternoon and evening.
• Academic peer advisers are also available in the undergraduate deans' offices and in most academic departments in a program called Academic Peer Advising. This award-winning program also offers help for choosing majors, minors and individual courses.

Graduate and professional education

Finally, for those considering pursuing an education beyond a bachelor's degree, Advising Services provides one-on-one advice on graduate school, law school, medical school, business school, teaching credentials and other professional tracks. Staff members are able to provide information on which prerequisite courses to take and how to apply for post-graduate programs. Advisers can also help coordinate any necessary admission tests.

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