When students aren’t sure what to do with their life, advisors are there to offer help and assist in which direction they should go.
It is suggested that students go prepared and schedule appointments in advance unless it’s during the advisors regular walk-in hours. Students can get the most out of their meetings when they come organized with questions about where they want to go in their education.
Amanda Reyes, a Political Science major, said this of her advisor John Macfarlane, “My advisor was really friendly and informative and I got the information I needed. He answered my questions and guided me in the right direction even though I didn’t know what my direction was before I went to his office.”
After interviewing a few advisors, they all had some things in common. They care about their students, they want to help them succeed and they want them to enjoy their time in college.
“I enjoy working with students one on one, and seeing students go through school is enriching,” said Becca Brimhall, the advisor for Health Education. “They are excited and prepared when they leave.”
Brimhall covers up to 600 students and three different majors: School of Health, Community Health and Health Services Administration.
“I love almost every bit of it,” Brimhall said. “There is only about one percent of advising that I don’t like.”
Vegor Pederson, academic advisor in the Communications department said he barely graduated high school, but when he started college he found he really enjoyed it.
“I liked finding out what people were majoring in and what they were learning about,” Pederson said. “My time working at the college paper really fueled this passion for higher education, so after I graduated and the opportunity to be an advisor for my old department opened up I jumped at the chance.”
Having advisors who once attended this school can often be helpful to students, as they know how the school works and they can sympathize with the students they work with.
“I dislike all the hoops my students are forced to jump through just to go to school,” Pederson said. “[But] it is so satisfying to see students finish something that has been difficult and knowing that I had a small part to play in their success.”
When an advisor is particularly helpful in a student’s success, most students really appreciate their help.
“Vegor finds the best options for you to succeed in and out of school,” said Jeremy Wright, a communications student. “He is very helpful whenever I have questions and he responds quickly.”
Erin Donahoe-Rankin advises students in three different departments, which includes four different subjects: Philosophy, Humanities, English Education and History Education.
“I love working and getting to know students as well as being involved with everything that higher education has to offer,” Donahoe-Rankin said. “The hardest things are the tough discussions, academic standards and graduation requirements, but I like being able to help students solve these problems.”
Many advisors do what they do because they have an interest in higher education.
“I love education but I didn’t want to teach in a classroom,” said Kristen Campbell, advisor of Behavioral Science. “I wanted to work one-on-one with students and being an advisor helped me to do this. The hardest part is when students don’t come prepared. Its always difficult or challenging when students don’t know what they want and don’t know which questions to ask.”
Students can thank their advisor through the Wolverine Achievement Awards, which is presented to student nominated advisors. Nominations are online at www.uvu.edu/studentgovernment/waa
