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Advising Matters! ADVISING IN HDFS Advising provides students with a personal connection to the University and to the HDFS Department. Your academic success is important to us. Getting the most out of advising appointments requires both student and advisor to be prepared, flexible, and respectful. Advisors in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies come from faculty, graduate students, and P&S staff. Students are assigned an HDFS advisor upon officially entering the Department. THE ADVISING RELATIONSHIP Many times students don't know what to expect in advising or from the relationship with their advisor. Generally speaking, the more you get to know your advisor and allow them to get to know you, your strengths, goals, and interests, the more satisfying and beneficial the relationship becomes. Advisors want you to be successful in your college experience and in achieving your academic and personal goals. The more they know you, the better advocate they can be for you. Advisors can help you:
Your role in the advising relationship is crucial. You have a responsibility to
Advising Matters! And it is in your best interest to make the most of the advising relationship.
Advising Matters! FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS When should I see my advisor and how do I make an appointment? You can contact your advisor whenever you have questions and you should make an appointment to visit with them at least once every semester before the registration period begins. E-mail is often the most convenient way to reach your advisor. What is a degree audit? ISU uses the Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS) which provides a computer printout that displays your specific curriculum requirements and all of the courses you have completed, are currently taking, or are registered for, showing how they meet those requirements. How and where do I get a degree audit? A degree audit is printed for you each semester before registration begins. Your advisor receives two copies of the audit, one for you and one for your file. Some advisors ask that you pick up the audit from them or from a department secretary. Others may mail you your copy. Be sure to check with you advisor to see how they handle distribution of the degree audit (DARS). If I’ve just changed my curriculum to HDFS, how can I get a degree audit for my new curriculum? You may request that a new DARS be printed for you by going to the College of Human Sciences Student Services office, E105 Lagomarcino Hall and filling out the request form. How do I change my curriculum? The first step in changing your curriculum is to talk with an advisor in the program you wish to enter. When you’re ready to complete the paper work, schedule an appointment with your advisor to complete the File Transmittal Form. Your advisor will need to get your advising folder and sign the form for step 1. If you are changing colleges, you will need a signature from your current college office for step 2. Proceed to the new college office for signature at step 3, and the last step requires that you take the form and your folder to the new department office. How do I add a minor? The courses required for a minor can be found in the ISU Catalog under the Department offering the minor. Minors require a minimum of 15 credits and some require more. It is helpful to visit with an advisor or faculty member who coordinates the particular minor you are seeking. The minor request form must be completed and approved before the minor will be added to your program and appear on the DARS. How do I calculate my grade point average (GPA)? Your grade point average is determined by dividing your total quality points earned by your total credits. You can calculate this for the semester to obtain your term GPA or for your entire ISU coursework to obtain your cumulative GPA. What is academic probation? Students are expected to make continual progress toward completing their degree. Academic probation is a warning system to alert students that their academic progress is not what it should be. Students must take action to address the reasons for their lack of progress and seek assistance from campus and community resources as necessary. Students are encouraged to develop an academic recovery plan with the help of their advisor. See the university academic probation site for additional information. What should I know about the registration process? Registration for courses for the next semester is usually completed on-line, using ACCESS PLUS. Approximately mid-semester, a registration access number (RAN) will be generated for students along with an assigned registration start date and time. This information is sent to each advisor. Registration start dates are determined by the Registrar and are typically based on the number of total credits completed. Freshman classification is 1-29 credits; sophomore classification is 30-59 credits; junior classification is 60-89 credits; senior classification is 90 or more credits earned. What should I do if I want to take a course at another school to transfer back to ISU? Use the transfer course equivalency guide to determine what the course will transfer to ISU for. Schedule a time to visit with your advisor about how the transfer course will be used to meet your degree requirements. If you are within the last 32 semester credits of your program, you must have approval before registering for the course(s). Complete the "Waiver of last 32 credits" and obtain the appropriate signatures. Once the course has been completed you must request a transcript be sent to the ISU Admissions Office in order for it to officially appear on your record. See the admissions course equivalency guides for additional information. How do I know what courses are acceptable for my general education requirements (natural science, social science, humanities)?
See HDFS General Education Selections for the approved list of general education group requirements for the Department of Human Development & Family Studies, 2007-2009 catalog.
Advising Matters! HELPFUL LINKS
Fall 2008 only / Spring 2009 only course offerings in HDFS College of Human Sciences General Education Group Requirements/Approved list of courses
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HDFS Main Office, 2330 Palmer HDFS Building, Ames, Iowa
50011-3190 Phone: (515) 294-6316, Fax: (515) 294-2502,
hdfsweb@iastate.edu.
Copyright ©
2007, Iowa State University of Science and Technology. All rights reserved.