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Advising at Wilkes

Congratulations on choosing Wilkes University. You have made a very wise decision. You are beginning a fascinating, rigorous and engaging learning journey that is designed to be holistic, individualized and intentional. Wilkes offers a vast web of support to help you successfully make the transition to college and achieve success. One of the most important people that you will come to know is your academic advisor. Your academic advisor wants to get to know you as a person.

Professor Halsor and Student-Advising and Teaching

A Fascinating Journey

Lets step back and use an imaginary example to help you understand more about your advisor's role. Imagine for a moment that you are a traveler visiting a fascinating city for the first time. You have prepared for this visit for a long time. You have learned about the city, thought about what you might expect, scoped out the fun stuff, packed your bags, and now you have arrived. Your stomach is in a knot, reminding you that you are feeling a mix of emotions as you embark on this adventure.

Many questions run through your mind.Do you speak the language? How will you meet the locals? What should you do first? What is on your “must-see” list? Which direction should you go, take the well-traveled roads or the intriguing cobblestone side streets? Did you pack the right stuff or do you need to stop at a local market? Should you take a tour or explore on your own? Will you use a map or do you prefer to wander? The answers to these questions are different for every traveler.

A Personal Guide

This imaginary trip is similar in some ways to stepping onto the Wilkes University campus for the first time. You may be filled with excitement but unsure of what to expect. You have prepared to go to college for a long time and now find yourself in a culture that is unfamiliar. You are beginning your own journey, charting your own course. You have a great deal of opportunities available to you and choices to make. At Wilkes, you will have personal guide to your learning journey and that guide is your academic advisor.

Your advisor will encourage you to discover your strengths and interests, help you to make thoughtful choices about your opportunities, set goals, and select appropriate academic courses and experiences to help you to achieve your goals. Advisors seek to get to know students and to assist with the transition to Wilkes, academic life, and the world after graduation. Get to know your advisor, you will be glad that you did.