Advising Calendar

Strengthen connections with your advisees through proactive outreach and timely, intentional advising. Refer to the advising calendar below for strategies and communication templates to use in the coming semester. 

Week 1 

During the week prior to the start of the term, and in the first week: 

• Send personalized communication to advisees who haven't met with you recently (or ever!) and those who haven't completed enrollment (run an enrollment report in Aviso to identify this group). 
• Make time to respond to advisees seeking guidance on schedule changes.
  
• Include advising-related announcements in your courses, particularly important dates on the college calendar. 
• The last day to add a full-length semester course is August 31.

Weeks 2 & 3 

As students settle into their classes, use Aviso to send an email to welcome students back to the start of a new semester.

• Encourage advisees and students in your classes to create and sustain good academic habits such as preparing for class and regular attendance. Inquire about how the first few weeks of the semester are going and encourage advisees to contact you for help. Accessing support from instructors, referrals to academic support, and/or seeking advising for schedule changes is important and timely for student persistence.
• Advisees who haven't enrolled in a semester will be removed from your advising caseload.
• The last day to drop a course (without a W and for 100% refund is September 6).

Weeks 4-7

• Follow up with advisees you haven't heard from yet this semester and those not in good academic standing.
• Introduce yourself to new advisees who have been assigned to you and encourage them to meet with you! Most advising reassignments are made in the first four weeks of the semester. 
• Use Aviso to send messages to students in your courses who are struggling, and follow up with advisees who receive such messages from their instructors. When sending such a message to a student, save the message as a note and select "Academic Alert" as the note type. 

This is an ideal time for rich advising conversations with your advisees that go beyond course selection and registration.

Week 8 

Midterms. A note of encouragement and support this week is much appreciated by students!  

Weeks 9 & 10 

Midterm grades are posted on October 18. Students (and their advisors) are automatically notified via email if their midterm grade is below a C (or a B+ or higher!).

• This is an ideal point in the semester to check in with all of your advisees. 
• Follow-up with advisees who receive these midterm grade alerts and achievement notifications. Congratulate students who are doing well, and support students in academic difficulty with a personalized phone call and/or message in Aviso. Ask them to meet with you; in that meeting discuss the challenges the student is experiencing, and create a plan to support the student’s success. Make referrals as appropriate.
• Proactive discussions around course progress and midterm grades lead naturally to advising and educational planning. 

Make time now to contact your advisees about making advising appointments/attending advising sessions on Advising Day and the days that follow. Be explicit in setting expectations for students about how to prepare for advising sessions. 

Weeks 11-13

Registration opens for various student types per the college calendar.  

• Follow-up with reminders about scheduling advising appointments and attending advising sessions (if applicable). Set clear expectations for students about preparing for advising sessions and direct them to helpful information (college catalog, transfer center, etc.) 
• Encourage students who wish to change their declared program to do so without delay! 
• November 4 is the last day to withdraw from a full-length course.
  

Weeks 14-16 

• Continue outreach to advisees with whom you've not yet met and those who have not yet enrolled for the coming semester (and aren't yet graduating/transferring).
• Use Aviso to run enrollment reports that identify students who need outreach. Refer to these email templates for example communication. 
• You are likely to be assigned new advisees throughout the term. Be sure to send an introductory email.  

Week 17 

Wish your advisees well on final exams and the upcoming break! 

Here are some more ideas for targeting proactive advising efforts to specific student groups. Contact Advising Services for more information.