How can I change academic advisors?

Question

I'm in college and am very displeased with my academic advisor. She has not been helpful enough and she just sends me emails full of stuff acting like she doesn't care so she gives me one or two sentences and some other emails, she doesn't know about anything of the questions I ask. I come to her for advice and help so I can succeed in class right and so I can make the right decisions. I'm not sure I can do that with this academic advisor. How can I change academic advisors?

Answer 1

Go to your college's office (the Dean's office or the office of the undergraduate associate dean or the advising office - whichever of these you have at your school) and tell them that you would like to make a change in advisors. You may be able to request a particular person, if there is someone in particular you would prefer, or you may have to take someone who is available, but it can be done.

Realize, though, that sometimes the questions we get asked are things we can't answer. For example, when a student wants to know how to do better in someone else's class, all I can tell that student is to talk to the professor for that class - all I know about the class is what the student tells me. And when someone asks me which elective should I take, my standard question is, "What is it that you want to do when you graduate?", so that I can help them pick something which might be helpful. If the student says, "I don't know," I then ask them what their interests are. If they still say they don't know or don't have any, it becomes very hard to be helpful!

Answer 2

Check with your Registrar's Office or Office of Academic Advising. They should be able to explain the process to you.

However, before you change advisers, is it possible you will end up taking a class from the adviser you want to drop.

Answer 3

If the advisor is assigned by the dept, go to see the dept chair and explain the situation. They should be able to help you.