Advisement and Scheduling

Lately I have been meeting with students who are preparing to register for their spring courses. This semester I am seeing a lot of juniors who need to meet with their advisor and get a second PIN number in order to register. Next year, those same students will be filling out their Senior Check forms. It's interesting how different students are when it comes to scheduling. Many of them come in with courses already chosen and only need to make sure that they are filling the requirements they need and are on track to graduate. Others come in mainly to check their degree progress and then choose courses based on what they still need to fulfill requirements. These students often have picked out at least a few courses they are interested in. Then there are the students who come in as a "blank slate," so to speak. They need to find out what requirements they have left to meet and have no idea what courses they would like to take. One thing I have learned: If a student says s/he will "take anything that's necessary" to graduate on time, don't believe it. The minute I start suggesting specific courses, I am told right away what subjects the student likes or dislikes. One way or another, we always come up with something.