In addition to providing accurate information, the advisor should understand the complexities of the collegiate bureaucracy and be willing to share this knowledge with the students. Although advisors should let students plan their own programs, they must realize that many students do not know how to raise the questions or find the answers that are crucial to the difficult process of planning an academic program. C. Advisors should listen with sympathetic understanding to their students' academic problems and other related problems, and advise them accordingly. D. Advisors should make it possible for students to develop a personal acquaintance with faculty members.
Research shows that positive adult role models are essential to student persistence.
If students are to develop a positive view of the University, and of its concern for them, meaningful interactions with their advisors and other faculty members are crucial from the start. E. Students should be encouraged to understand the relationship between what they are doing in college and the world beyond the campus. Advisors should be prepared to engage in discussions of future academic and professional options and opportunities. They should be able to talk about career paths followed by graduates in their department or major area. F. Advisors should be willing to work with students in solving academic problems.