The Honors College is offering an online advising option for their older members, allowing them to schedule classes early without having to physically attend an advising session.
Honors College students are one of the first groups to schedule classes. Previously, these students had to see an Honors College adviser before scheduling classes.
Because of this new program, only freshmen are required to visit advisers before being allowed to schedule classes.
Sophomores, juniors and seniors are now given the option to complete an online advising form, which is e-mailed to an adviser and is approved through e-mail rather than face-to-face advising.
Honors College advising began this week and will continue until Oct. 17.
Michael Blandino, an academic adviser for the Honors College who helped sponsor the new advising forms, said he had advised students abroad through e-mail and the Honors College thought it would be beneficial to local students as well.
“Ideally, it is for students who know their requirements very well and just need a quick check or reminder,” Blandino said. “Freshman usually need a little more than that since they don’t have much time to be exposed to the different options available to them or the jargon in the catalog.”
Blandino said Honors College students who fill out the online advising form will have a a two-day wait before their schedules are approved.
Erin Hough, an Honors College Advocate and a psychology and pre-occupational therapy senior, said the new online option will be more efficient for students.
“By the time you’re a senior, you know what courses you have to take to graduate,” Hough said. “Now instead of signing and waiting for an hour, we can do it online.”
Hough said all students can still be advised by the Honors College staff.
“The online advising will eliminate the frustration of everyone being advised,” Hough said. “It will also allow the people who really want to be advised more time to plan out their academic careers.”
William McGehee, a finance senior, said he transferred from Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss. a year ago and did not receive his priority scheduling in the spring because of a scheduling conflict with the Honors College advisers.
McGehee said his business college adviser could not clear him to schedule because he had to be advised by the Honors College. When he did visit an Honors College adviser, it was the last day to be advised and his adviser was out of town, causing him to not get his priority scheduling.
McGehee said if an online advising option were available to him last year, he might have been able to schedule early with his fellow honors students.
“After your first year, the Honors College doesn’t really help with advising,” McGehee said. “They don’t know what I need to take in the business college.”
McGehee said he plans to use the online advising form this year as well as visit his business college counselor.
“The online advising defiantly would have saved my schedule last year,” McGehee said. “It will save me a lot of time this year.”