The Welcome/Advising Center, located in the Palomino Center, Room 126, is designed to act as an Information Center, and it is the number one recommended starting point in course planning. The staff there will teach you on how to find a degree plan, whether you are considering a two-year or a four-year degree.

Currently enrolled students with a declared major should see their faculty adviser after visiting the Welcome/Advising Center. You can look up your faculty adviser on pages 14 and 15 of the Spring 2004 Palo Alto College Bulletin.

Those of you who have access to the Internet can pick up step-by-step instructions on how to access your student information through the ACCD web site. You can compare transfer plans for UTSA against Texas State University (formerly Southwest Texas) or the University of the Incarnate Word against Our Lady of the Lake University.

For current Palo Alto students, you now have access to a degree audit via the Internet. A degree audit is a service that keeps track of the courses that you have taken, as well as the courses that you still need to take. If you need further assistance or think you might want to change your major, see your faculty adviser first.

Many students don’t know that only 60 credit hours will transfer to a four-year university. Of those 60 hours, 48 hours are core curriculum hours, which are state-mandated, college-level hours. This means that everyone has to take these hours regardless of his or her major. The remaining 12 hours are dedicated to your field of study, also know as your major. Where you plan to transfer and what you are considering for a career determines what courses you should take for those 12 hours. The 60 hours (48 plus 12) make up your associate’s degree.

Advisement is academic counseling that offers guidance to students who wish to create a map of future semesters. For each major, an adviser is assigned and trained to counsel students in a one-on-one setting and/or group setting.

“The importance of advising is the opportunity for students to learn how to self advise. It ensures that students are choosing courses that best fit their career goals. It prevents students from excessively changing their major, and, above all, it helps to keep them focused,” said Salinas.

One-on-one advising allows students an opportunity to meet with their faculty advisers in a confidential setting. Many students prefer to talk about their grades and future goals in this type of atmosphere. Advising is conducted in the faculty adviser’s office, where he or she can access the student’s information, which is vital to the preparation of the student’s semester schedule.

“As an educator who has the student’s best interest at heart, I feel I am better able to assist students in a one-on-one setting, ” said Anna Bustamante, Instructor of Physical Education.

Group advising is new to Palo Alto College this semester. The goal of group advising is to introduce students to others with the same major and to give students general information about degree plans. However, students are expected to have all of their information on hand: their two plus two plan, their degree audit, and a tentative schedule for the upcoming semester. If students think they need further assistance, they should make an appointment with their faculty adviser for a one-on-one session.

“Advising wasn’t all a waste,” said Bradley McDonald, a sophomore majoring in Business Administration with a concentration in Marketing Tourism. “(My adviser) told me that I had to fill out my transfer application a semester before I planned to transfer.”

A key to planning a successful schedule, regardless of the type of advising you seek, is to go to the Welcome/Advising Center, ask them how to access your degree audit over the Internet, and locate your degree plan. Do not be afraid to ask for help.

For those with declared majors, get to know your faculty adviser. Or, if you still don’t know what you want to major in, see the advisers in the Welcome/Advising Center and the counselors in the Counseling Center. Your future is in your hands.