Students who are well prepared academically and highly motivated tend to do well in college and persist to graduation. But for various reasons--some of which are beyond their control-- many students lack the requisite academic background for college-level work. As a result, most colleges and universities enroll students with a wide range of…

A total of 343 first-year, African-American students at the University of Maryland College Park completed a questionnaire on a variety of topics including career and advising issues to determine the career needs and interests of these students. The reasons African-American students most often reported for going to college were to get a better job…

Spring 1998 surveys of faculty and students at University of Akron, Community and Technical (C&T) College (Ohio) queried respondents regarding their first-year experience with a faculty academic advising project. Forty of the 72 (55%) full-time C&T faculty responded, and 279 of 400 (70%) student surveys were returned. Faculty findings included:…

The Academic Assistance System (AAS) at Rio Hondo College in California is the early academic warning system that flags students in academic trouble. The AAS aims to assist these at-risk students through counseling, time management/study skills workshops, tutoring, and other programs. Students who received early warning letters and who responded…

Describes the Personalized Admissions and Advisement System introduced at Triton College, Illinois, to administer student recruitment, admissions, advising, and initial orientation. The article compares the old and the new systems and points out the benefits of the computer-assisted method, particularly as related to speed and ease of data…

Brigham Young University's College Advising Center, staffed by faculty and nonfaculty advisors, provides traditional academic advising, maintenance of students' advising files, evaluation of transfer credit for major requirements, new-student orientation, maintaining and publishing degree requirement profiles, faculty assistance, registration…

Surveyed educationally and vocationally undecided students (N=8,051) at Ohio State University each year from 1974-1980. A seven-year comparison indicated very little change in demographic and other pertinent variables. Suggests services created for this heterogeneous group need to be consistent and varied. (RC)

A study showed that the longer students have been at the University of California at Santa Barbara, the more negative their feelings about the available academic advising. Students felt intimidated by faculty, but also that advising services were inadequate. A new system making better use of peer advising is recommended. (MSE)

At DePaul University (Illinois), a set of advising competencies was derived through collective examination of practices among faculty/staff who provide advising services to adult learners. Using a storytelling methodology, skills, knowledge, attitudes, and values reflective of good advising were extracted and described. The methodology served as…

This article reports the evaluation of a walk-in student advising system designed to meet students' needs for accessibility, advising, and close interaction with advisors. The walk-in advising system is reported to be well-used, and to address the need for both information and good student-advisor relationships. (TE)

A discussion of the unique academic advising needs of special populations (honors, undeclared majors, first-year students, ethnic and cultural minorities, students with disabilities, and professional students) draws on the experience of advisors in these areas and is intended for faculty advisors who feel underprepared in those situations.…

Presents the Accommodations Planning Team (APT) seminar, a half-day job placement program for graduating students with disabilities. The seminar approaches placement via skills training and resource utilization. The group format enables teams to learn from one another. Structured activities introduce students to important career preparation…

Electronic versions of college catalogs, viewbooks, and applications are used successfully as tools for college student recruitment. High school guidance counselors and community college advisors can be given access to special information services, students can both obtain and provide information on diskette, and the approach is cost effective for…

A study assessed the effectiveness of an institution's academic readmission conditions on the subsequent success of about 500 social science majors. Results show specific ethnic, age, and academic experience subgroups to be at highest risk. However, success among those readmitted was most related to gender, quality point deficit, and readmission…

Reviews important factors in designing and implementing an evaluation program for academic advising, reviewing specific performance criteria for individual advisors and for program effectiveness. Describes an evaluation model utilizing a five-year review, annual telephone surveys, and monthly written evaluations. Suggests mechanisms for…