What do Academic Advisors Do and How Can They Help You?

Academic advisors are an invaluable resource for online students. Learn more about what they do & how they can help you succeed in college.

What do Academic Advisors Do and How Can They Help You?

Navigating the complexities of life as an online student can be challenging. That's why online academic advisors at the University of Arizona, such as Spires online philosophy tutors, are a critical resource for students. Academic advisors, or student advisors, help guide you through your educational journey and university systems. They ensure that you're on track to earn your degree and work with you to overcome the challenges you might face as an online student. Academic counseling refers to the creation and execution of academic plans maintained through the counseling relationship. It is a continuous and coherent process based on frequent and cumulative personal contacts between the advisor and the student. advisors at the University of Arizona, such as Spires online philosophy tutors, are a critical resource for students. Academic advisors, or student advisors, help guide you through your educational journey and university systems. They ensure that you're on track to earn your degree and work with you to overcome the challenges you might face as an online student. Academic counseling refers to the creation and execution of academic plans maintained through the counseling relationship. It is a continuous and coherent process based on frequent and cumulative personal contacts between the advisor and the student.

Counseling emphasizes timely academic requirements; helps schedule courses; provides connection to campus resources; and helps students achieve their personal educational goals. The right approach is to have counselors and students work together to develop prospective plans that work, to help students understand the possible outcomes and consequences of their decisions, and then to monitor academic work and results to evaluate improvements in the plan. Academic advisors work actively with students to identify goals and together create a plan from the first semester until graduation. Bob Jacobsen, interim dean of undergraduate studies at the Faculty of Arts & of Science, helps define the role of the advisor by examining not only what advisors do but what they don't do. Academic advisors help you understand the purpose and goals of higher education and their effects on your life and personal goals. They accurately monitor and document your progress toward achieving your educational goals. Counseling emphasizes timely academic requirements; helps schedule courses; provides connection to campus resources; and helps students achieve their personal educational goals. The right approach is to have counselors and students work together to develop prospective plans that work, to help students understand the possible outcomes and consequences of their decisions, and then to monitor academic work and results to evaluate improvements in the plan. Academic advisors work actively with students to identify goals and together create a plan from the first semester until graduation. Bob Jacobsen, interim dean of undergraduate studies at the Faculty of Arts & of Science, helps define the role of the advisor by examining not only what advisors do but what they don't do. Academic advisors help you understand the purpose and goals of higher education and their effects on your life and personal goals. They accurately monitor and document your progress toward achieving your educational goals.

They are accessible for meetings during office hours, by appointment, phone or email. New, first and second year students receive support through the Academic Success Center, which advises staff and receive mentoring from teachers through their core departments. Shery Crater, Senior Academic Advisor II at the College of SBS-Arizona Online and senior advisor to the SBS online counseling team, helps answer some of the most pressing questions about the role of academic advisors. The academic records specialists at the Graduate and Professional Center are available to help you with credit transfer evaluation, grade point average (GPA) information, grade changes, and the granting of degrees and diplomas. If a student wants to explore and define their academic, professional and life goals, as well as resources, a counseling appointment will help them analyze these types of questions. Academic success coaches act as coaches and mentors by helping students with academic planning, class selection, and college experience. They must also act quickly to help the student resolve a challenge or answer questions in a timely manner. In conclusion, academic advisors are an invaluable resource for online students.

They provide guidance throughout your educational journey by helping you understand higher education's purpose and goals, monitoring your progress towards achieving your educational goals, providing access to campus resources, helping you create an academic plan from first semester until graduation, exploring your academic, professional and life goals, providing mentorship for class selection and college experience, helping you transfer credits or change grades if needed.

Dr. Serena Aldwyn
Dr. Serena Aldwyn

Dr. Serena Aldwyn is an academic researcher and former university librarian with over seventeen years of experience helping students navigate scholarly sources, research databases, IB academic resources, and higher-education support systems. With a doctorate in Information Science and a postgraduate qualification in International Education, she has worked across UK and international universities training students, teachers, and advisors in research literacy, digital scholarship, academic integrity, and the critical evaluation of sources. Serena has contributed to curriculum design for IB programmes, collaborated on initiatives promoting intercultural understanding and global citizenship, and advised postgraduate students on advanced literature review methods for dissertations and capstone projects. Her work bridges the worlds of academic advising, information science, and digital pedagogy, making her uniquely equipped to explain what counts as an academic resource, how to find reliable sources, and how students can use research tools to think more critically and creatively. Her writing style blends warmth, clarity, and scholarly precision, helping learners at every level build confidence in their academic abilities.