By Joana Karoshi | Staff Writer
Omaha, Nebraska, sophomore Sarah Ali had a plan. She was not enjoying her engineering major and wanted to switch to health science. All she had to do, she thought, was talk to her advisor.
Her meeting did not go as planned. According to Ali, her academic advisor told her she could not advise her and sent her out of the office after a short meeting.
“She gave me no steps whatsoever,” she said.
Ali could not immediately switch to health science because her GPA was below the requirement. Rather than switching to undecided — which would have been her fourth major change — she registered for classes that aligned with health science, hoping to switch officially at the end of the semester.
Her advisor later told her she could not take those classes while remaining an engineering major.
“She told me that I either have to switch to undecided, then switch to the major you actually want to be, or you take classes that pertain to your major,” Ali said.
Ali had until Friday, the last day to register, to figure it out. By Wednesday, she wasn’t sure what to do.
“This was my fault, but I really did not want to switch four times, and also I really did not want to take engineering classes,” she said.
Ali decided to re-register for the health science-related classes she had originally selected. That worked for two days before her advisor contacted her again and reiterated that she could not take them.
With only a day or two remaining, Ali decided to register for base-level engineering courses instead. Then she discovered a registration hold on her account. Ali said she emailed her advisor and was told she had not been advised for classes.
“I said, ‘I went to your office, but you sent me away,'” she said. “I kind of was given no option.”
Ali said her advisor told her the two had never sat down for an advising appointment. By then, the registration deadline had passed, so Ali went to the dean of Baylor’s School of Engineering and Computer Science for help.
“As soon as I go into her office, before I sit down, she says, ‘I know, but you cannot register for classes,'” Ali said. “Before I could even say anything or get my point across, and this wasn’t my fault, and that was what irritated me.”
Ali is now taking classes at McLennan Community College.
Her experience illustrates one side of a process Baylor administrators say can become particularly complicated when students begin questioning their majors.
Robert Shipp, senior director for undergraduate success, said one of the first questions students considering a major change ask is how it will affect their graduation timeline.
“The biggest concern that we’ll have from students is, ‘I want to change my major. I think I know where I want to go. What’s that going to cost me in time? When will I graduate?'” Shipp said.
Changing majors is relatively common, according to Shipp. About 25% to 30% of Baylor students change their major during their first year, while about half change their major at least once during their first two years.
For students still determining where they want to go, Shipp said advising may involve multiple conversations about their interests and possible academic paths.
“We want to make sure that you get all the information that you need to make that informed decision about what this new path to success looks like,” Shipp said.
Frisco sophomore Yamini Muthu had a different advising experience. Born in Dubai, Muthu came to Baylor as an international student with questions about navigating college in the U.S.
“I was really confused about how to register for classes, how to get going with everything,” she said. “It is difficult to know as an international student.”
Muthu said both her honors and major advisors responded to her concerns, often within 24 hours.
Before her first registration, a hold on her account prevented her from registering because Baylor could not find her I-20 or visa status. Muthu said her advisor worked with the international office to resolve the issue and she was able to register for her classes.
While Muthu has found advising useful, she said she would prefer more opportunities to meet with advisors closer to registration, when students have more specific questions about their schedules.
“Maybe more help when it does come closer to the deadline,” she said. “I feel like advising should be closer to registration.”
Muthu disagrees with students who characterize advising as useless and recommends students arrive at appointments prepared with questions.
“They’re here to help,” Muthu said. “They’re your resources on campus, so make the best use of them.”
Jason Bushnell, director of advising for the College of Arts and Sciences, said advising structures vary across Baylor and emphasized that his comments apply specifically to the College of Arts and Sciences.
Within the college, students meet with advisors each semester, with conversations changing as students progress toward graduation.
“We are looking at each student’s situation,” Bushnell said. “We’re not going generic. We are going specific.”
Bushnell said advisors’ primary responsibility is helping students progress toward graduation within their declared degree plan. While students may bring questions about financial aid, careers or changing majors, an advisor may need to direct them to another office.
“Students see us kind of as a one-stop shop,” Bushnell said. “Our role is really specific.”
The College of Arts and Sciences, for example, refers students considering another major to Baylor’s Major Exploration and Success Advising office.
“Because Baylor is a big place, we are specialists, not generalists,” he said. “We specialize in getting you to graduation with your declared program.”
When students are unhappy with an advising appointment, Bushnell said they can speak with the advisor’s supervisor. However, he said some frustrations can stem from differences between what students expect from an advisor and what falls within an advisor’s responsibilities.
“Usually what I’m explaining is, ‘Hey, you didn’t get this from your advisor because this is not what your advisor is for,'” Bushnell said. “Let me get you to the right person or persons who can help you with those things.”
At the same time, students ultimately remain responsible for their academic decisions, Bushnell said.
“We advise; we don’t make decisions,” Bushnell said. “We’re going to give all the information, and we’re going to let students make their choices.”
Within the College of Arts and Sciences, students can provide feedback about advising appointments through a survey in Baylor’s Navigate system. Bushnell said more than 99% of responses have been positive during the three years the survey has been administered.
For Ali, communication was ultimately the problem.
“I had no problem with anything she was saying,” Ali said. “I understand I have to take classes for my major. I understand that if I want to take something else, I have to switch. I still understand that. But I wish she had told me just before that was too late.”
Ali said she had not previously experienced problems with her advisor and described her as “a super sweet lady.” But she said the situation showed her how difficult advising can become when students’ circumstances do not fit neatly into the process.
“Every situation is different,” Ali said. “You can’t expect that the same thing is going to happen for each student.”
Now undecided, Ali said she plans to be more intentional during her next advising appointment.
“I want to register all my classes right then and there,” Ali said. “I don’t want to have to make any switches after. I don’t want to have to add classes on my own, remove classes on my own, switch stuff on my own.”
