A survey of 278 academic advisors from six four-year colleges and universities determined differences in advisors' attitudes toward students matriculating at their institutions, transfer community-college students, and students coming from other four-year colleges. Advisors viewed transfer students as less prepared, less motivated, less…

Summarizes federal regulations concerning academic advising, including defamation, negligence, privacy, disabilities, civil rights, duty to report crimes, and privilege. Relevant state laws, interpretations, hypothetical situations, and the possible institutional and personal penalties, both civil and criminal, of not following current laws are…

Presents an approach to calculating the costs of college education to maximize students' human capital. When considering college expenses, students often overlook the opportunity costs of income foregone while pursuing degrees. A true-cost calculation worksheet and a strategy for making true costs salient to students (projecting the number of…

Traces the history and content of the NACADA (National Academic Advising Association) Journal through an analysis of the content of its 33 published issues, including number and length of articles, type of author(s), methodologies, and references cited. Prominent advising themes and trends are revealed. (Author/MSE)

In the role of career counselor, the academic advisor helps advisees define the process necessary to obtain employment and life fulfillment. Helping advisees select the courses necessary to realize their career goals is only part of that guidance. A model for career advising based on a developmental theory of career counseling is proposed.…

A study investigated the usefulness of the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory in predicting college students' academic performance, focusing on whether the scores enhance the accuracy of traditional predictors such as college entrance examinations and high school rank. Results indicate the scores produce a slight but not significant increase…

International students face a variety of challenges related to language difficulties, immigration issues, and culture shock. Asian students are less likely to seek help for their emotional and interpersonal problems than their American counterparts, due to culturally different help-seeking preferences. A study examined levels of anxiety among…

A portion of the results of a national academic advising survey are reported. Advising data on 754 programs are analyzed to determine the performance of seven advising models on eight program goals and their perceived effectiveness on 11 program variables. The data also create a context for deeper consideration of the relationship between an…

Academic advisors can use materials produced by the American College Testing Program to help undecided advisees explore career options. Materials include the College Report, World-of-Work Map, lists of career families, posters, and other resources, and they can be used in conjunction with sources like the Occupational Outlook Handbook to assist in…

A North Dakota State University study found that during a required first-year seminar, students whose course instructors served as their academic advisors voluntarily attended advising sessions significantly more often than did students whose advisors were not their course teachers. Areas for further research and implications for advising programs…

A Web page provides an indispensable resource for advisees. Advisors may include content unique to the needs of their specific advisee population, and the hyperactive linkages contained on a page can lead to other important academic and job-related resources. Suggestions are offered for starting Web site development and finding advising-related…

The American College Personnel Association's "Student Learning Imperative" is a statement of principles for college personnel working outside the classroom that is designed to focus on the core mission of undergraduate education student learning and personal development. Current use of this statement around the country is reviewed, and…

Suggests the digital revolution in the university and the culture as a whole mandates widespread adoption of technology in all facets of student support services, providing powerful new tools for meeting student needs. Advantages of adopting new technology include speed and accuracy, convenience, efficiency, security, improved evaluation and…

Ten professional academic advisors were observed in advising sessions with 35 traditional-aged undergraduates to determine whether advising styles are observable and whether conceptual differences between prescriptive and developmental advising approaches are distinguishable. Individuals were observed to use one of three styles and did not vary…

A national survey on academic advising practices at 754 colleges and universities investigated organizational models for advising programs, prevalence of seven such models in institutions of varying types and sizes, and institutional practices regarding policy statements, program evaluations, and coordination of advising system. Three themes in…