School of Business academic advising continues during social distancing
The following blog was written by Cole Schreiber for Business 305, a business writing course offered by the KU School of Business. During the spring semester, students were tasked with creating an effective blog post to communicate an opportunity or issue in the business school to prospective students, current students, faculty and staff, alumni, donors, and anyone else who reads the School of Business’s blog content.
Meeting with an academic advisor to plan your schedule of classes can be challenging and stressful under normal circumstances and having to navigate the process during a pandemic can be even more difficult.
When our country implemented social distancing to reduce the spread of the coronavirus, it became necessary for the safety of all students and faculty that the University of Kansas close its campus to all in-person classes and meetings for the remainder of the spring 2020 semester.
These developments came quickly and during a critical time for many students who were planning enrollment for the fall 2020 semester. KU School of Business advisors met these challenges head-on by making the advising process as smooth as possible during these unforeseen circumstances.
A new format for business school academic advising
The KU School of Business Student and Academic Services office make themselves available, via phone conference, to students who need assistance with planning classes. The advisors follow the same procedures they would for an in-person appointment during these phone meetings as it is important that they are thorough with students to ensure that they enroll in the correct classes to complete their major.
My experience with advising this semester was, naturally, very different than the previous semester. As soon as campus closed, I received an email from my School of Business advisor, Amy Schmidt, letting me know that my advising appointment would be conducted over the phone instead of in-person.
Prior to the call, I emailed my advisor the questions I had, so that we could make the most of our 20-minute call. Being away from campus, I was not able to stop in to ask any follow up questions, so I reached out via email when I needed more information. Though having your advising appointment entirely via phone and email communication is not ideal, I believe I received the same level of assistance as I would have during an in-person meeting.
Importance of advising during uncertain times
The changes that KU has implemented in response to the coronavirus outbreak have caught many students off guard. Most of my business school classmates left for spring break with the intention of returning to campus and meeting with their advisor once classes resumed.
Bobby Ahern, a freshman majoring in finance and accounting, worried that he would have to plan his classes on his own since he would no longer be on campus. His fears were alleviated when he received a personal phone call from his advisor who answered all of his questions.
Questions addressed during academic advising
With classes and advising moving online, having an advisor to reach out to with questions is critical. It is easy to get off track with classes and degree planning when you are removed from the college environment. Advisors have made it a priority to connect with students to help them stay on track with classes and ensure their progress towards their degree.
They have also reached out to ensure that students are effectively transitioning to having classes online. During my advising call, my advisor asked about how my transition to online learning was going and advised me to reach out to my professors anytime I was feeling unsure or lost during this new “normal” college experience.
By Cole Schreiber and Meaghan Boyd
