Academic Advising
Your academic advisor is here to guide you
As a new student, you will need to meet with your academic advisor before you enroll in classes. Your advisor will help you choose the best courses to suit your interests and degree path. Your advisor will be here to help you all the way through graduation, and meeting with your academic advisor regularly will help you stay on track for your degree, which could save you time and money.
Your advisor can:
- Help you choose a major and plan your academic program
- Provide information about how your transfer credits apply to your degree
- Help you declare a new major, minor, or certificate program
- Check your progress toward completing your degree and meeting degree requirements
- Suggest enrichment opportunities, like the Honors Program or student mentoring
- Explain academic policies and requirements
- Assist you with a grade appeal or an issue with a class
- Provide support in the event of a personal issue or challenging life circumstance
Make your advising appointment
To make an appointment with your academic advisor, use the Student Appointment Scheduler Links to an external site. available through One.IU. For assistance, contact University College by phone at (812) 348-7200 or by email at coucol@iu.edu.
After you make your appointment, you'll receive a confirmation email with your appointment date and time. You can also see your scheduled advising appointment when you log in to your Student Online Advising Records (SOAR) Links to an external site. page, and in the Student Appointment Scheduler.
Who is my advisor?When you log in to the Student Appointment Scheduler (SAS), you will see your academic advisor's name under "Find appointments." If you don't see an advisor listed there, visit our advising webpage Links to an external site. to find the advisor for your major. Next, choose the "search for other advisors" button in SAS and select the IU Columbus campus. Choose your advisor's name from the list and click the "Schedule Appointment" button to see available appointments on your advisor's calendar. |
Prepare for your advising appointment
Your advisor wants to get to know you as a person, to understand your goals for your college journey, and learn more about your strengths and your interests. This will help them help you to get most out of your education. The more prepared you are for your appointment, the more time your advisor will have to offer advice, coaching, and connections to resources and people at IU that can enrich your educational journey.
Here's how to prepare:
- If you have declared a major, read through the requirements for your degree to get an idea of what classes you may need. You can find degree requirements listed on the webpage for your major. Find your major's webpage here. Links to an external site.
- Look through the Schedule of Classes Links to an external site. or use the iGPS interactive course search tool Links to an external site. to find courses that interest you, fit with your schedule, and may count towards your degree. Your advisor will look over your proposed courses to confirm you are on track.
- Write down any questions you may have for your advisor, and bring your questions to your appointment. Want to know more about getting involved on campus? Need tips for managing your schedule? Let your advisor know!