Why Advising Matters More Than We Think
When people talk about the factors that promote student success, they often point to curriculum, faculty, or campus resources. Advising is somewhere on that list, but rarely at the top. In my experience, that is a mistake. Academic advising is one of the most important and most misunderstood parts of higher education.
For many students, advising is the difference between feeling lost and feeling grounded. A good advisor does more than help a student pick classes. A good advisor helps a student make sense of the entire college experience.
Moving Beyond Transactional Advising
The Limits of Course Scheduling
Too often, advising is treated as a transactional task. Students meet with an advisor once or twice a semester to review degree requirements and register for classes. The meeting is efficient, but limited. It focuses on what students need to take, not on how they are doing, what they’re doing, or why they’re doing it.
This model may work for students who already understand how college operates (though I would argue that the student still loses out). It does not work well for students who are unsure about where they are going or who are trying to figure out the system. When advising is reduced to course selection, we miss the opportunity to see and support the whole student.
Advising as a Relationship
Effective advising is relational. It requires time, trust, and consistency. Students are more likely to ask questions and share concerns when they feel their advisor knows them and is invested in their success.
In my work, I have seen how powerful these relationships can be. A simple conversation can uncover challenges that would otherwise go unnoticed and can unlock opportunities that would otherwise go undiscovered.
Proactive, or Intrusive, Advising
Reaching Students Before Problems Grow
Many academic advising systems rely on students asking for help. This is a challenge because students often do not know when they need help, and many hesitate to seek it out even when they do. Proactive advising – sometimes called intrusive advising – shifts the responsibility from the student to the institution. Instead of waiting for students to show up, advisors reach out at key points in the semester. This might include early check-ins, follow-ups after exams, or outreach when a student shows signs of struggling.
Using Data Thoughtfully
Colleges have access to a great deal of information about student performance. When used thoughtfully, this data can help advisors identify patterns and intervene early. The goal is not to monitor students in a punitive way, but to provide timely support.
Data should inform conversations, not replace them. The most important part of advising is still the human connection.
Integrating Advising into the Academic Experience
Connecting Advising and the Classroom
Advising works best when it is connected to what happens in the classroom. Faculty play a key role here. They are often the first to notice when a student is struggling or disengaged.
When student’s faculty and advisor(s) communicate regularly, they can create a more complete picture of the student experience. This allows for more coordinated and effective support.
Embedding Support in Courses
Another effective strategy is the integration of advising into courses themselves. This can be done at scale through first-year experience or success courses; it can also be done at the course level through structured reflection assignments, goal-setting exercises, or guided conversations about academic progress.
When advising is part of the curricular experience, it becomes more accessible and less intimidating. Students are more likely to engage with it when it feels like a natural part of their learning.
Addressing the Whole Student
Academic and Non-Academic Challenges
Students do not experience their academic lives in isolation. Work, family responsibilities, financial pressures, and personal circumstances all shape how they engage with their coursework.
Good advising takes these factors into account. It creates space for students to talk about what is happening outside the classroom and how it affects their academic choices (and about how what is learned inside the classroom affects life outside it). This does not mean that advisors need to solve every problem. It means they need to listen and help students connect to the right resources.
Building Confidence and Agency
Advising should also help students build confidence in their ability to navigate college. This includes helping them understand how systems work, encouraging them to ask questions, and supporting them as they make decisions (even bad ones).
Over time, the goal is for students to become more independent and self-directed. Advising is not about checking boxes; it is about building human capacity.
Supporting Advisors and Faculty
Training and Development
If we want advising to be effective, we need to invest in the people who do it. Advisors and faculty need training in student-centered practices, communication strategies, and cultural awareness.
Many educators are not formally trained in advising. They learn on the job, often with insufficient support. Providing professional development opportunities can make a significant difference.
Time and Resources
Good advising takes time. It requires more than quick meetings and checklist conversations. Institutions need to recognize this and create conditions that allow advisors and faculty to do this work well.
This may mean adjusting workloads, providing additional staff, or rethinking how advising is structured. Without adequate resources, even the best intentions will fall short.
A Shared Responsibility
Advising is not the responsibility of a single office. It is a shared effort that involves faculty, advisors, administrators, and staff. Each group brings a different perspective and plays a role in supporting students.
When advising is coordinated across the institution, students receive more consistent and meaningful support. When it is fragmented, students are left to piece things together on their own.
Conclusion
Rethinking academic advising means moving beyond a narrow focus on course selection and toward a broader understanding of student success. It means building relationships, reaching out to students, and connecting advising to the full college experience.
When we approach advising in this way, we create an environment in which students feel supported, informed, and capable- and when students feel like this, they are more likely to succeed.