UCC academic advisors are invaluable resources to avoid student-led mishaps

Students with poor advising may end up dropping out, losing their career goals, or wasting unnecessary time and money by taking the wrong courses or by taking the right courses in the wrong order. If pre-requisites, for example, aren’t completed, students will get locked out of registering for needed courses. Registering into the wrong class can also lead to failure and a lower GPA if the student wasn’t ready. 

Academic advisors will help students connect to valuable resources such as the academic calendar, student education plans, registration systems, and the degree auditor.  “They ensure that your education track meets your life and career goals,” Dan Ruch, a UCC transfer and academic advisor, says.

The student education plan tracks a student’s courses from their current semester through graduation to help them take the correct courses in line with their career goals. 

Students can reference their student education plans before registration to know exactly what courses to register for to keep on track for graduation. The SEP also can ensure that any required prerequisites have been taken care of prior to registering for a course. “I use this every term to register for classes, and I also go back to look at my grades for every course,” Savannah Peterson, a UCC nutrition major, says. 

College students will face many different challenges that can be overwhelming on their own. “We recognize how confusing college can be,” Ruch says.

“The best way to schedule an appointment with us is to log in to AdvisorTrac,” Ruch says. AdvisorTrac is an online source for booking appointments.

To log in, students must first open the UCC homepage. Step two is to select the “Apply” tab toward the top of the page. Step three is to click on the “Meet an Advisor” section of the right side of the page. Lastly, click the “Schedule an Appointment” button located toward the bottom of the page.

If students are having trouble with this process, they can view the tutorial hyperlink that is titled “How to Make an Advising Appointment.” Another way to reach out and schedule an appointment is by calling the main UCC information desk at 541-440-4600. The main information desk will also be able to help students find answers if they need assistance.  

All advising services are at the Laverne Murphy Student Center Building on campus as well. Walk-in appointments are not suggested because the number of students to advisor ratio keeps them busy. The advising team would like students to make appointments.  “We want students to have what they need and have our undivided attention,” Ruch says.

Ruch, or any other academic advisor, will also help students with a Degree Audit and “planner.”  This tool is found in the student self-service portion of the UCC homepage. Step one is to log in to “Student Self-service.”  Step two is to select “Student” and then “Student Records.” The last step is to select “Degree Audit and Planner.” Once this page opens, students must next log into “Degree Works” using their student 800 number. 

This “Degree Audit” shows a student’s major, GPA, advisors, academic standing and progress towards graduation. The Degree Audit breaks the degree down into smaller sections such as degree-specific courses, humanities courses, science courses, electives and cultural course requirements. 

If students set up their SEP earlier in the year, it will be accessible on this page as well. To view a SEP, students must select the “Plans” tab at the top of the page. When selected, it will show the SEP. If one isn’t there, students should contact their academic advisor. A completed course that is a part of the student’s overall degree will be filled in with a green checkmark. 

Other information about this page can be found at the bottom using the legend. 

Students are advised to check the Degree Audit after each term and during registration to ensure final grades are correct as well as to enroll in the correct next courses.

The academic calendar can be found on the UCC homepage under a tab called “Resources and Services.” By hovering over “Resources and Services,” students can then select “Academic Calendar” in the drop-down menu. The academic calendar shares valuable information like enrollment dates, last day to drop courses, holidays, start and end to semesters and bookstore dates (such as the book buyback). Maintaining a healthy relationship with this tool will allow students to plan ahead of time avoiding some of that last moment anxiety and haste between semesters. 

There are two major deadlines coming up. The first is for students who plan to transfer schools and may need a scholarship. The last day to apply for scholarships is March 1. The second is the early scholarship deadline of Feb. 15. Registration for the spring term of 2022 starts Feb. 16. Second-year students or students with more UCC credits and veteran students may be eligible to enroll a few days earlier. Check the academic calendar to see when you are eligible. 

In order to graduate, students must apply at least the term before. It is imperative that students do not wait until the last minute. This allows the graduates to access information about cap and gowns and invitations, and it pulls students’ records so that the registrar can view the student’s progress and prepare permissions to graduation. There are two ways to apply. Students can log into student self-service and then select “Student.” After that, they should select “Apply to Graduate” and the term when they intend to graduate.

Contact me at:
UCCMainstream@yahoo.com

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