Your advisor, or Academic Advisor, is someone from our CECI Undergraduate Advising Center who specializes in your major (Education Birth-K, Criminal Justice, Hospitality and Tourism Management, Legal Studies, Public/Nonprofit Administration, or Social Work). 

Anyone in our office is happy to help, even if they're not assigned to you! We recommend that if you have questions about what classes to take and what is required of you before you graduate that you meet with the Advisor who specializes in your major. Find out who specializes in your major by reading our staff bios and seeing their areas of specialty!

You may have been assigned other care professionals (i.e. Success Coach, Athletic Advisor, or Honors College Advisor), as well. You can learn more about your Athletic Advisor or Student Advising and Special Programs services on their websites.

If your appointment was successfully scheduled, there will be a few things you can use to confirm.

1. Check out your Navigate Student Profile >Click "My Appointments" and confirm the date/time of your appointment from there.
2. Look in your Student Email inbox for a confirmation email.
3. If you selected this, you should also have received a Text Message confirmation.

You can always call our office to check in with the desk staff at (616) 331-6890, to see if your appointment has been scheduled

If you scheduled a zoom call, your academic advisor will send you a zoom link to your student email (the one you have on record through Banner and Navigate). Check your inbox (perhaps your spam folder) for a calendar invite and/or a zoom link. Usually these links are sent the day of your scheduled appointment.

If you are a prospective student or a transfer student and you don't have a GVSU student email set up yet, the person who helped schedule your appointment will ask for your preferred email, hand that off to the advisor, and you'll receive a zoom link invitation to that email.

You may have been prompted to schedule a "required advising appointment" with your Academic Advisor -- this could be because you're about to complete your first year at GVSU (and you have a hold on your account that prevents you from registering for classes), you might be on academic probation, or you were required for another reason related to your grades or performance in school. Not to worry! These appointments are opportunities to feel more confident and prepared for achieving your goals. Your Advisor is your advocate and guide; their goal is to help you in whatever way you'd like to be successful in school.

At these required appointments, Advisors might cover the following topics:

1. How are your classes going, and how do you feel about the experience?
2. Looking ahead, here are the classes you should try to register for next.
3. Would you like resources to improve your grades or accomplish your homework?
4. Do you feel comfortable here?
5. Are you happy with your major?
6. Have you thought about studying abroad or looking for an "out of classroom" learning experience?

Your Academic Advisor is trained to help guide the conversation of appointments; however, some readiness on your part can help!

For a virtual/Zoom call:

1. Have a quality wifi connection so the call goes through
2. Have a working mic and speaker for the audio component (so we can hear you and so you can hear us)
3. Find a space where you can focus on the appointment (an office, a room with a door, or a quiet alternative space)
4. Appointments work best when you can join zoom from a computer; however, zoom calls work on your smartphone as well 
5. Have questions ready if you have any

For an in-person appointment:

1. Have questions ready if you have any
2. Arrive on time to keep appointments moving smoothly
3. Check in with the front desk (right in front of the elevator doors in Grand Rapids or the lobby in Allendale)

Navigate, or Navigate360, is a student success software that assists with appointment making and access to services on campus. It provides a variety of tools and support for students, faculty and staff. Generally speaking, it provides a way for undergraduate students to more easily connect with their advisor(s), faculty, and other support services across campus. Learn more about Navigate360 on this webpage.

Because it hosts a few services for you, care team professionals can coordinate support for you through notes, appointment summary reports, and access to your grades and email correspondence -- that way, everyone is on the same page because everyone has access to these materials. Navigate does not include confidential services or the Knowledge Market.