Pre-Advising Checklist
Prepare for the conversation you will have during your advising session:
1. Get essential details ready for your advising check in
- Have your valid photo ID, like a driver license or SAC student ID, and your Banner number to present to the advising front desk.
- Notify your advisor if you are a veteran, have needs related to accessibility or accommodations, are struggling to pay for school, or are the first in your family to go to college.
2. Check for holds on your account
3. Complete or update your advising PIN tasks
- Talk to your advisor about deciding if your updated career goal requires a transfer to a specific university.
- Ask your advisor if your need a Change of Major since not all community college programs are transferrable to four-year schools.
4. Use the Advising Syllabus to guide your academic success
- Look at the Student Academic Advising Plan to track expected achievements based on your earned hours.
- Follow your Step-by-step Plan to see what you should complete each week of the semester.
5. Review progress in your GPS degree plan
- Make sure your Individual Success Plan (ISP) has been updated for the next three semesters.
- Visit the plans section of GPS to browse and save Transfer Advising Guides (TAGs) from partner universities.
6. List your current courses and the expected grade in each course
- Share current grades provided in Canvas for each course.
- Speak with the advisor if you have any Early Alerts for one or more classes.
7. Prepare a list of courses for the next one to two semesters
- Use your GPS degree plan woksheet to see what classes you have not taken yet.
- Create a new degree plan, with the courses you would like to take, for your advisor to discuss with you.
8. Consider questions, to ask your advisor, like these
- How am I progressing and am I on track to graduate?
- What extra-curricular activities and student organizations are there on campus that are related to my interests?
9. Schedule an advising appointment if you have an assigned advisor
- Confirm the name of your assigned advisor by visiting My Page in ACES. If you do not have an assigned advisor, get help on drop-in advising days.
- When you schedule your Navigate appointment, notify your advisor if you want to meet in person or virtually.
10. Plan your next advising session
- Explore other student services, on the advising resources page, that that you would like to use. Ask your advisor for help if you need more information.
- Have information ready if your advisor gives you additional tasks to complete.