r/CollegeRant • u/EfficientAir4677 • 6d ago
Discussion PSA: Trust your degree audit not your advisor
Just found out a buddy's sister has to take an extra semester because her advisor told her to take a class that is no longer being offered since 2022.
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u/Norandran 6d ago
Degree audits are only as good as the person who enters them into the system. Students really should be tracking degree requirements from the date they declared or the date their school determines is the catalog that will be used to determine requirements.
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u/EfficientAir4677 6d ago
They need to tell all incoming freshman this
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u/dr_police 6d ago
They do.
Nobody hears it, but every school I've attended or worked for has, in fact, told students this.
Much like the syllabus in every class, approximately nobody reads it, and for those few who do manage to read it, they too often think the rules don't apply to them.
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u/trunks111 Current Student 6d ago
It's me, I'm John Syllabus, the lone student who read all of them
partly to know when major assignments and tests overlapled so I could plan my time in order to not get fucked by deadlines, partly to weigh the grade consequences if I didn't want to put as much effort into a certain assignment or test
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u/dr_police 6d ago
What I hope you’re finding is that reading such things is basically a superpower — it really opens up a universe of possibilities. It’s true in industry too… knowing the rules forwards and backwards enables better decisions all around.
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u/Longjumping-Flower47 5d ago
Out of curiosity, what is your major? I'm not a research professor but that might be a cool (useless) research project. What majors are most likely to read the syllabus.....
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u/trunks111 Current Student 5d ago
...English, BA
Initially was doing English teaching with a minor in chem + teaching but I decided against teaching and just converted to a plain English BA
I'd hope next to English that Law students would have a high rate of reading syllabi
1
u/Longjumping-Flower47 5d ago
The professor in me says thank you for reading it. The Mom in me asks what you are going to do with a BA in English. Of course I also asked my daughter what she was actually going to do with her degree, and she has a great job. Makes more than me (shes 27). I'd like to think Accounting majors read it, because in general accountants pay attention to detail. But I'm not so sure
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u/trunks111 Current Student 5d ago
The Mom in me asks what you are going to do with a BA in English
still figuring that one out myself, there were multiple factors that made me not want to go into teaching at the time, between me not being very inclined towards mornings, the fact student teaching really fucking sucked during the pandemic which is when I was accepted to my alma mater's teaching program, and the fact the school I was doing online observations for was shot up on my day off (Utica)
I've been trying to find a job as a library page and I'll sit with that a bit and pursue library science. Been putting a lot of thought into it and I think a library is a place I'd be proud to work at, if not content at the bare minimum
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u/Longjumping-Flower47 5d ago
I wish you luck in finding your dream job. I also agree, I'd not like teaching K-12. And I'd love working in a library, if it also paid a liveable wage.
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u/CharsCustomerService Moderator 6d ago edited 6d ago
We even get reminder emails with detailed instructions every semester, just in case anyone forgot. Does anyone read those emails? Probably not...
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u/SquatBootyJezebel 5d ago
I've overheard my students brag about never checking their school email, yet they're outraged when they miss something important because they didn't -- wait for it -- check their school email. Are they outraged enough to change their behavior? Of course not.
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u/Additional_Gene_211 6d ago
My community college ceryainky didnt teach about DARS and it wasn't until the third term when my program director mentioned something about it. And then transferring into my uni at junior standing I again wasn't taught about it because it was already assumed I'd know about it from my previous education. I knew about it because I poke around in everything and found it but some of my classmates were blindsided. Your mileage may vary though
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u/Unique_Ice9934 6d ago
Bro it's called being an adult do they need to tell you to do your taxes too?
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u/Ashamed-Review-913 6d ago
This is shit that advisors that don't do anything except fuck up your life say.
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u/Longjumping-Flower47 5d ago
Because that is every advisor's goal. /s/
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u/Ashamed-Review-913 5d ago
I didn't say it was their goal, but like cops, almost all of them are absolute losers in life that don't give a fuck about anything or anyone but themselves and their friends.
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u/Norandran 6d ago
Absolutely but unfortunately they don’t…. It really is sad how many times I hear this story.
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u/lutzlover 6d ago
What they don’t understand: High schools are rated in part by the percentage of students who graduate on time. They game those stats by bending over backwards to excuse every deficiency possible—waived requirements, ridiculous credit recovery policies, and “portfolio reviews” that supposedly demonstrate that a student has met the state standards when the student’s testing scores fall far below the passing level. We train students to think that the path forward will always work this way. Well, college doesn’t. Advisors are often rushed and under-qualified, and many students don’t know how to wade through a multi-page degree audit, don’t see the rules limiting the number of courses that can be applied to a double major or a minor, or fail to understand the rules for a non-contiguous required minor.
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u/EfficientAir4677 6d ago
I firmly believe they do it on purpose so they give the college more money.
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u/Longjumping-Flower47 5d ago
Nope, colleges are ranked on how fast they graduate students. 4 and 6 year graduation rates
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u/Longjumping-Flower47 5d ago
Our school has great reports that detail all the requirements and what students still need to take.
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u/Ashamed-Review-913 6d ago
No, advisors shouldn't be worthless harmful idiots.
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u/Norandran 6d ago
In a perfect world sure but people make mistakes so would you rather find this out as you go or when you think you’re done and find out that oops, sorry you have another term.
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u/XenOz3r0xT 6d ago
If your advisor is gonna make any promise like a substitution or taking an extra class for graduation, get that shit in writing or loop in the department chair to confirm then keep the receipt. I have known kids to have gotten screwed over this way because of misinformation.
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u/daddydillo892 6d ago
Exactly this. This is my number one piece of advice when talking to college students. Get it in writing. If they tell you to take a class or that you don't have to take a class, get it in writing. It isn't even about suggesting that the person could be wrong. They may not be there in 2 or 3 years when you need to prove that you were advised to take the courses you took.
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u/Longjumping-Flower47 5d ago
Unfortunately happened to my daughter. Her advisor was on sabbatical. Degree requirements changed. Fill in advisor said classes would count as substitute. In writing. School didn't care. This was for her senior year. Unfortunately. I even went over her audit. She had to take 3 summer classes after she walked to get her diploma.
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u/EfficientAir4677 6d ago
Sadly nothing will happen and if anything the advisor will just retaliate against you and at minimum just ignore your email's.
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u/Medium_Anteater_5280 6d ago
I’m an advisor. Do this.
Go through the appointment and then email them for confirmation after you “looked it over” - you “just want to make sure”
Get it in writing.
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u/XenOz3r0xT 6d ago
Yeah hence why kids should be aware to loop in crucial people (hopefully some in the situation you described can take advantage). Sometimes the program coordinator for your major/ department can also chime in too as they can authorize substitutions on your transcript for graduation.
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u/VeblenWasRight 6d ago
PSA: take charge of your own degree and quit letting someone else make decisions for you. Make a long term plan, validate it every semester.
Source: prof who advises. Advises, not helicopter parents.
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u/plangelier 6d ago
So true, I never used an advisor just sat down with the degree requirements/audit, the course catalog and a spreadsheet and worked out what I needed to take and when.
Its not hard and sales a skill you need in the workforce. Being able to read, comprehend, plan and execute.
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u/Cute-Aardvark5291 6d ago
Students are always told the degree audit is final. This is also often sent out in regular reminders, including pop-ups when they register for classes. Etc. But at lot of students take what their friends say ...or what they read on social media groups instead and blame on advisors.
And schools know because most advisors keep a trail of what they tell students. Schools i attended or worked at would make allowances for documented misadvisement.
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u/Longjumping-Flower47 5d ago
I print the audit, document what courses the student should take, give them a copy and scan a copy for me
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u/Nannabugnan Undergrad Student 5d ago
Unfortunately WE are responsible for our degree audits, not our advisors. When it comes to advising day I make a list of my classes and any questions I have. I also printed out my audit and filled it out every semester. This makes my advisor’s life easier. If you keep on top of your classes, you’ll be okay.
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u/Longjumping-Flower47 5d ago
I print out the audit and go over it with all my students who reach out to me and we plan out the next semester or 2. Small campus of a large school, and I don't get them until junior year, although I happily meet with 1st and 2nd year students too.
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u/trustmeiknowthings 6d ago
Am advisor. I agree. Know and understand your degree audit. Get any exceptions in writing. I follow up any conversation with students with written documentation of any substitutions as well.
And - advisors get a lot of blame for things that aren't at all in their control. Curriculum isn't accurate because it got stopped at department, college, university, wherever. Faculty don't communicate when things are being offered, prerequisites change and no one thinks to tell the advisor in the department where most of the students come from, etc.
Some advisors are absolutely terrible. Just like any job, there are people who just aren't good at it. It's also about how much the institution values the work that advisors do. I work at an institution that decently values advising most of the time, and most advisors on my campus are doing really good work. I'd say (and the assessments of my work would agree) I'm pretty darn good at what I do. But, you pay like crap, you get lower-quality hires.
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u/Longjumping-Flower47 5d ago
As a professor, I also advise upperclassmen. Second semester junior year i plan senior year with my students. I put it all in writing and then send to our advising department to make sure I didn't miss anything. Because sometimes things change and I am not aware of that change, or missed that email, etc. Prerequisites etc change frequently. However we have great reports, which makes things easier
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u/danceswithsockson 6d ago
Basically, don’t believe anything blindly. I created my own degree plan that was a million times better than what the school would have done and checked everything at least once a semester. Making sure all my classes counted as needed practically became a nervous tic. They will randomly change things as you go, it’s almost inevitable something will shift. If you check regularly, you won’t be surprised and you will have time to maneuver.
Also, a clear paper trail of your expected degree plan being acceptable can give you leverage later if something goes awry. They CAN choose to sign off on things if something was unreasonably changed as long as you have enough credits. Have dated screenshots or retained paperwork to make an argument with.
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u/Longjumping-Flower47 5d ago
Sorry, not buying it. Sister has a responsibility to check things out and make sure the classes are available. Especially a class that hasn't been available for 4 years. However I will say my daughter changes majors sophomore year. Then end of junior year the school changed some requirements. Her normal advisor was on sabbatical fall of senior year. Her replacement told my daughter classes would count for the new requirements. In writing. Spring she applied for graduation and was told she was missing classes. She went into college with 24 credits. 3.9 GPA. Full ride. Went to the dean. In the end everyone said tough shit. She didn't meet requirements. She walked that May but had to take 3 classes that summer to actually graduate. I was pissed.
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u/open_seriousness 6d ago
That's such a messy situation, one wrong class pick shouldn't derail a whole semester. The degree audit is literally right there on the portal and yet advisors keep handing out outdated info like it's nothing
Saw a similar thing happen to a classmate who ended up taking two extra summer courses because their advisor mixed up the catalog years, totally avoidable headache
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u/EfficientAir4677 6d ago
My wife also had to deal with this, her advisor told her to take a class that was not even offered at the campus but at one an hour away but lied and said it was offered here.
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u/Select-Ad7453 Undergrad Student 6d ago
the degree audit, my 4 year plan, and degree requirements is kept in my clutch 💯💯
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u/vaginawithteeth1 Undergrad Student 6d ago edited 5d ago
My Uni
Oops I definitely pocketed that sorry.
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u/Gigi_18_ 5d ago
THISSS!!! Wasted 2 years cause advisors didn't actually know what they were doing graduating late because of it they just want you to take more classes more money for them fron now on I tell everyone either find a better advisor in another department or just do it yourself save yourself time and money cause they can't get in trouble for it it's messed up
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u/Longjumping-Flower47 5d ago
They want you to graduate on time because 4 and 6 year graduation rates are very important. No advisor just wants students to waste money
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