By
Michelle McCollum
Arizona Summer Wildcat
Guidance is important during the first year, advisers say
Advice is often just an unwelcome opinion, but during the first year of college, advice from the right person could put a student on the road to success.
From the Freshman Year Center to individual major advising, the University of Arizona supplies its incoming freshmen with information and advice they can use to choose the best major for their educational careers and to eventually earn their degrees.
"A student needs to explore his or her own interests, career goals, aspirations," said Scott Johnson, interim assistant director of the Office of Academic Services. "Choose general education courses around those interests, connect with faculty members, and meet with advisers."
"(Advisers) help you see things that you might not," said Susan Wilson, an English junior. "Like different classes you want to take that you don't need and shouldn't take. For instance, I'm an English major, so why should I take an organic chemistry class, even if I wanted to? I wouldn't. It would be suicide. An adviser might help you see that, though."
Advisers can be found in each of the major departments, in the Office of Academic Services, the Freshman Year Center and various other student affairs departments. Advising services will also soon be offered for freshmen in the Integrated Learning Center.
Anthropology adviser Diana Vidal recommends that students use their freshman year as a time to cultivate their own interests. If a student is interested in a specific major, she says, he or she should first do research on that subject.
"I encourage (the students) to take some general classes that will count toward Tier One and Tier Two requirements, and make up their own ideas about it," she said. "Then if they still want to, they can commit. If not, they can go to something else without having wasted time."
For students interested in chemistry and the sciences, Walter Miller, a general biology professor and adviser, suggests a different approach.
"Jump into it. It's the right thing to do." Miller said. "And anyway, the chemistry major is laid out over four years so you need to start right away."
But whoever the adviser is, "it's important to make appointments early," said computer science sophomore Tom Havril. "Because there's a lot of students trying to do the same thing you are."
Because every student has different needs, Vidal recommends that freshmen visit the Freshman Year Center, an advising department dedicated to helping new students adjust to college life located in Bear Down Gym room 102, until it soon relocates to the Integrated Learning Center.
"I would encourage students to explore the university because it is a wonderful place," Vidal said. "There are so many types of organizations that can really enhance the whole educational experience. If you have the chance to explore, you can really make your education worth it."
