It’s that time of year again. Keene state students are scrambling to figure out what classes are available and which classes it is they need to take in order to fill not only their major or minor requirements, but also the requirements for ISP classes and elective credits. Course selection always seems to leave underclassmen struggling to get into the classes they need to take, cursing upperclassmen who get first dibs. It seems to come at a terrible time every year, not only for the people who work in academic and career advising in the Elliot Center, or the students who are forced to endure course selection around the time of midterms. Now students are dealing with stress from not only the classes they are currently enrolled in, but also the potential classes they have to select for next semester.
What makes this time all that more difficult is the student’s own advisor, or lack thereof. Overworked and highly underpaid, advisors are forced to schedule emergency appointments for their advisees and are expected to remember the intricacies of each student’s schedule as well as the ins and outs of each catalog year and not to mention, be able to guide students through the confusing ISP course selection. Advisors have high expectations both from the institution and the students they advise. Advisors are expected to solve every problem the students can come up with their schedule and their graduation timeline. Of course, for most advisors, it’s never that easy. Students often forget that their advisors are not at their beck and call, able to seamlessly navigate them through scheduling mistakes and conflicts.
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Instead students neglect to utilize their advisor at times other than class selection, creating a crisis situation for both advisors and students come class selection time. The college and advisors alike need to continue to stress the importance of planning ahead, both semester by semester and year by year. The ‘Student Services’ tab under MyKSC now lists classes for the next semester under the ‘Search for Classes’ button. Allowing students to get a preview of the classes for next semester, helping to make a plan for next semester without an emergency visit to an advisor come class selection time. Instead, students can make early meetings with advisors and have a plan in hand instead of relying on an advisor to draw one up for them. A more proactive approach by students and advisors alike might eliminate the crunch that occurs at course selection time, making it less of a dreaded event.