Becoming An Academic Advisor

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My career goal is to become an Academic Advisor. To that end, I am currently pursuing an Associate Degree in Psychology and plan to transfer to UNC for a BA and an MA in Educational Psychology. I have not determined specifically where I will be working yet. I would, however, love the opportunity to be a part of the Aims Community College team. In order to learn more about the required skills and potential obstacles involving interpersonal communications within my chosen profession, I have decided to perform a comprehensive online investigation. The results of this research are listed below. The outline of this report is based on the twelve core competencies for academic advising obtained from the University of Wisconsin-Madison website. …show more content…

The way we perceive others, their culture, gender, race and personality; as well as the impressions we form about them, play an important role when needing to counsel and refer students in order to better serve their needs. (McCornack 72-104)
Listening Actively.
Comprehensive knowledge of undergraduate education. It is crucial to understand the objectives and targets of higher education, demonstrate consciousness of the various issues in achieving higher education such as equity and access. (advising.wisc.edu) Equally important, advisors must demonstrate conceptual knowledge of advising philosophies, academic frameworks, core values, and higher education issues such as legal and ethical matters. (nacada.ksu.edu)
In order to gain comprehensive knowledge, an academic advisor must practice active listening and apply the skills explained in chapter 5 of the textbook. The five step process of receiving, attending, understanding, responding, and recalling is of the utmost importance for this competency. (McCornack …show more content…

This knowledge involves student and career development, as well as student learning theories. Must be familiar with basic demographic and generational components of student populations, such as: “first generation, minorities, international, returning adults, etc.” (advising.wisc.edu) Likewise, NACADA’s website mentions the importance of having general knowledge of college students as well as the specific characteristics of the population being advised. (nacada.ksu.edu) One of the responsibilities of academic advisors looking to work for The University of Arizona is to “assist students with admission and registration, provide guidance in course selection in keeping with each student’s interests, values and abilities.”

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