by Breanna Balleby

Hello all! Midterms are upon us, Homecoming is in full swing, and Halloween is tomorrow. It seems like there is plenty to do in the next few days…but what is this list missing? Academic advising! Every year, Halloween is the midpoint of the term that is used as a good reminder about when to make an appointment with your academic advisor to check in and to plan Winter Term classes.

So, how do you get this process started? First off, make sure you know who your advisor is. Start by checking the “First-Year Advising Syllabus” that was given to you at START and lists the name and contact info for your advisor. If that doesn’t help, search through your college’s “Current Students” page for information on who your advisor is and how your college or school prefers to make appointments. The College of Liberal Arts even has a “Find Your Advisor” page that can help you get in contact with the right person. Be sure to make your appointment prior to your registration date. If you don’t know when that is, check out the “View Priority Registration Status” on the MyOSU Portal for an exact date and time.

After the appointment is booked (be sure to do so in a timely manner since they fill up fast!), these are some of the main things to think about when meeting with your advisor during Fall term:
• getting your registration PIN (you’ll need one of these to register for every term)
• talking about how your classes are going this term—this is a time for you to reflect on your experiences thus far and let your advisor know how the term is going
• planning which courses to take for Winter 2015, which is something you can start thinking about yourself prior to your appointment (MyDegrees, located in the MyOSU Portal under the “Student” tab, is a fantastic way to see what you still need to complete and then you can look through the OSU Course Catalog to get an idea of what courses might fill those requirements)

Finally, keep an eye out for Valentine’s Day and Cinco de Mayo later this year as reminders to make an advising appointment for following terms (Spring 2015 and Fall 2015)!