Students might pay for bad advice

Academic advisers act the part of a bridge for students to gap the student-institution relationship; offering about 40,000 students great advice is good advice for the University. But bad advice is sometimes prescribed to the tune of thousands of tuition dollars.\nSimilar to some student situations within the campus community, senior Jenn Billinson said the misinformation advised to her during her junior year cost her an extra semester of out-of-state tuition. Billinson, who is from Virginia, said studying abroad shouldn't detour students' four-year academic plans.\n"I had a bad experience," Billinson said. "I went to see an adviser to inquire about studying abroad; I wanted to know if the credits would count (toward graduation). After I was accepted into the program, I was told: 'You will not graduate on time.' I took summer classes to try to make-up for the loss, but I still have to stay an extra semester."\nOn the other hand, some students might suffer without the assistance of an academic adviser. Theater and Drama Adviser Charles Railsback said academic advisers are the key link to curriculum and departmental information for many campus community members. \n"An adviser stands in the middle of the University and the student," Railsback said. "My observation is that advisers see it their mission to help students; advisers will try to help. Students should be cooperative and seek help."\nSchool of Education Adviser Lynn Greenfield said handling changes is often the most difficult part of the job, considering each school on campus has individual advisers offering services to students.\n"Advising is informing students of the options they have; advising is giving good advice to students," Greenfield said. "Most advisers do their best to give good advice to students. Students should keep all documents we give them in a folder, so we can walk through the progress together. That way, the information they need isn't a surprise to them."\nRailsback said any faculty member can act as an adviser for a student.\n"Ultra-independent students might not utilize campus resources to fit their needs," Railsback said. "They miss out on information only the adviser possesses in the department. Across the board, in almost all areas of the University, programs aim to have a general education plus a specific education. Sometimes students define themselves too narrowly."\nInstead of assuming an automatic four-year plan, Greenfield said getting in and out of the University takes a lot of focus and planning by students.\n"Try and make a plan," Greenfield said. "Have a general idea of what you want to do. If you change your major, you will have to add on more time: summers, and that sort of thing. That's the nature of making changes in an academic institution."\nEvery worker in every profession makes a mistake at one time or another. Greenfield said to err is human; mistakes do happen, typically from student and adviser miscommunication.\n"I don't want to blame anyone," Greenfield said. "Either the adviser doesn't advise the student correctly or the student doesn't listen. I'm sorry that happens. I don't think we can really say there is a problem, unless many students can point to a similar situation. I see our job as that of an aide to person controlling the path of the plan. It's possible to have an off day; we strive to not have that happen."\nAdvisers play a particular role in the University structure as gatekeepers to curriculum and specific program information -- what professor teaches which class, which class choice will better serve the student's scholarly breadth -- and "inside" information of the particular school: who can assist the student in a particular direction. Greenfield said students sometimes suffer from misinformation due to frequent changes in registration and computer processes.\n"I really appreciate the student who comes in to see me and takes in the whole picture," Greenfield said. "There is a lot of information to understand; there are a lot of resources available to students on campus. Too bad for students who don't take advantage of the richness that is here. We work with the student in mind; we want to deliver the best services possible."\nFortunately, students can participate in the role of active agent in the student-adviser relationship. Greenfield said many students are ill prepared when making curriculum decisions guiding the course of their study.\n"Students can be prepared," Greenfield said. "They are the one steering the boat. I just inform them of the information -- they are affected by it."\nBillinson said it's a shame students receive bad advice, since the student-adviser relationship should be based on what is good for students.\n"It's impossible for students to know the requirements for everything," Billinson said. "I know each adviser advises hundreds of students; good advice is a huge deal to each person they advise."\n-- Contact staff writer David A. Nosko at dnosko@indiana.edu.