A college academic advisor helps you understand degree requirements, choose and register for courses, and work through policies such as academic standing, withdrawals and declaring a major. A mentor works with you week to week on following through: planning your schedule, keeping deadlines and acting on what your advisor recommended. The advisor shapes the plan; the mentor helps you carry it out.
What a college academic advisor handles
Advising looks different from college to college. You might have a professional advisor in an advising center, a faculty advisor in your major, or both. Most advisors help with:
- Reading your degree audit and knowing which requirements are left
- Choosing courses and a realistic course load
- Registration timing, holds and prerequisites (see how to register for college classes)
- Declaring or changing a major, or adding a minor (see double major vs minor)
- Explaining policies on withdrawals, probation and graduation
- Pointing you to tutoring, disability services, counseling and career offices
Our guide to the college advising office covers how these offices are set up.
What an advisor usually cannot do
Advisors often work with many students and may see you only a few times a term, more if you are on probation or in a special program. That leaves a gap. An advisor will not text you on Wednesday to ask whether you emailed your professor, help you plan the week around a job, or notice that you have stopped going to a class until grades post.
What a mentor adds week to week
- A weekly plan. Every class, deadline and shift in one place, with big assignments broken into steps.
- Follow-through on advising. If your advisor said to see a tutor or drop a course by a deadline, the mentor helps you actually do it.
- Showing up. Practice talking to professors and using office hours.
- Early warning. When a class starts slipping, you talk it through with your mentor before it becomes a grade.
- Someone between sessions. Text and phone contact keeps the plan alive on the hard days.
A mentor does not interpret degree requirements or college policy. Those questions go back to your advisor. For other roles that get confused, see academic coach vs mentor and mentor vs tutor.
How to prepare for an advising appointment
- Review your degree audit first. Note which requirements are done and which you do not understand.
- Draft a course list with backups. Bring your first choices and two alternates for each.
- Check your registration date and any holds. Clear holds before the meeting if you can.
- Write your questions down. Include the uncomfortable ones, like a class you are failing.
- Be honest about your schedule. Work hours, commute and family duties all affect how many credits make sense.
- Send a short follow-up email. Summarize what you agreed so you both have a record.
When to see your advisor right away
Do not wait for your scheduled meeting if any of these happen:
- You are failing or have failed a class and need to know your options
- You are thinking about withdrawing from a course or the semester, since deadlines matter
- You get notice of academic probation or a financial aid warning (see SAP appeals)
- You are considering transferring or a new major
Rules on withdrawals, standing and aid differ by college, so your advisor and the financial aid office are the people to confirm them.
Where a mentor helps
The strongest pairing is a student who meets their advisor and then has a mentor helping them act on that plan every week. Mentoring happens by video anywhere in the United States and in person in Los Angeles. Parents can be included in updates if the student chooses. See mentoring for college students and more in our college success guides.
Related
- How to raise your college GPA
- Graduating college on time
- Educational consultant vs school counselor
- For college advisors
Common questions
How often should I meet with my academic advisor?
At least once a term before registration, and anytime something changes, such as a failing grade, a major change or a probation notice. Some programs require more meetings.
Can a mentor replace my academic advisor?
No. Only your advisor and the college can confirm requirements and policies. A mentor helps you follow through on the plan you make with them.
What if I do not like my advisor?
Ask the advising office whether you can switch, or get a second opinion from a faculty advisor in your major.
Is a mentor the same as a peer mentor on campus?
Not quite. Campus peer mentors are usually students who meet occasionally. A Blackburn mentor is one dedicated mentor who meets weekly or more, with contact between sessions.
Get started
Want weekly help turning your advising plan into action? Call (888) 305 5422, email contact@blackburnmentoring.com or start with a short assessment. A member of our team reviews every assessment personally and sets up a free intro call.