Ten Reasons to See Your Adviser

While student advising cannot be mandated at Penn State Harrisburg, the faculty of the electrical programs at Penn State Harrisburg is committed to providing the guidance necessary for you to navigate through your program and Penn State as smoothly and quickly as possible.

The top ten reasons for seeing your advisor regularly:

1. Develop a semester-by-semester plan for completing your degree;
2. Insure you have the proper prerequisites for your courses;
3. Find out which semesters a course is most likely to be offered;
4. To help keep you on track for graduation – courses and grades;
5. To find information about, and guide you to, Penn State student services;
6. Professional Networking;
7. To make special course arrangements;
8. To obtain signatures, verification letters, and letters of recommendation for financial aid, graduate schools, and potential employers;
9. To have an ear or advocate in times of trouble; and
10. Learning to ask for help of all types. Admitting you need help is the mature, professional and ethical thing to do.

Ways to obtain similar results without seeing your adviser:
Reasons:

• 1-3:
  • a. Program semester-by-semester worksheet web site:
    • EE: http://www.hbg.psu.edu/hbg/programs/undergrad/eeng.html
    • EET: http://www.hbg.psu.edu/hbg/programs/undergrad/eet.html
  • b. Other students (subject to errors and incomplete information);
  • c. Your instructors (but that’s what your advisor is for – maybe you should consider changing advisors if you feel more comfortable talking with a particular instructor instead of your advisor);
• 4. The degree audit;
• 5.
  • a. Visit the Student Affairs web site
  • b. Ask program/school staff assistants;
• 6.
  • a. Networking at a job or internship;
  • b. Through IEEE Student Branch or IEEE Susquehanna Section activities;
• 7. Instructor and Program Chair;
• 8. Program Chair will send you to your adviser;
• 9. Professional counselors at PSH Student Assistance Center;
• 10. Learning from your mistakes