Daily Skiff

Graduating on time is a concern for most college students, and receiving proper advising is one of the best ways for students to ensure that they do.

However, about one in every 10 students reported being misadvised to the point of delaying graduation, according to a survey among graduating seniors from 2007-2008.

Being misadvised is not only frustrating, but it can also be expensive. Consequences range from simply taking a class one doesn't need or isn't interested in to having to enroll for an extra semester or longer in order to meet graduation requirements.

Some universities have hired full-time professional advisers to prevent this from happening. Although the Neeley School of Business has, other departments have not. And in the university's current atmosphere of budget tightening, it is not likely that the university soon will.

So what can be done to decrease instances of misadvising?

Though it's easy for students to complain that their advisers are completely at fault, there are steps students can, and should, take to have more successful advising sessions. For example, they should always go to their advising session with a list of classes they want or need to take as well as a list of questions and concerns they have.

They're called advisers for a reason; they assist students in making decisions, they don't do all the work for them.

On the other hand, many students have voiced concerns about their advisers' not always knowing what they are doing, and their concerns should not be discounted.

Some majors and departments have a more complicated set of requirements than others, and in this case, advisers should be better trained.

Fault may also lie with the university itself because of the overly complicated core curriculum.

The university should look at the problem holistically and work toward either educating students and advisers or simplifying the system for everyone.

News editor Logan Wilson for the editorial board.

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