What is academic advising?

What is academic advising?

Academic Advising? What is that?

We ask our Social Ecology Undergraduate Affairs (SEUA) staff to find out more.

Academic advising begins with orientation and is there for you through graduation. It is a way for you to connect with someone on campus whose only goal is to help you understand what you need to succeed. Is it required to meet with us? No, but it is strongly recommended! An academic advisor can help you with a wide array of questions- from why you can’t add a course to how you can approach professors to ask about research.

High school advisors and community college advisors might tell you what to take. In SEUA, we ask you what you want to take. There isn’t a linear path to your degree- you have options! We will help you navigate those options, give you our opinions, but ultimately you decide what path to take. Our job is to help students make informed decisions based on their interests and their goals- these are different for everyone. "I might like taking math and science classes and you might not. It’s a good thing I don’t have the power to tell you what to do!”- Alejandra Garibay, Assistant Director of SEUA says. We’re here to support you in developing a plan toward graduation. The more information you share with us about your goals, the better we can aid you in navigating through your undergraduate career.

“We are here to help you so you can help yourself”-Danielle Primavera, Director of SEUA says. “Honestly – I don’t think every student NEEDS to meet with an advisor – many students do figure out degree requirements on their own and get by just fine. We would love to help you figure out ways you can enrich your educational journey at UCI and have conversations about the bigger picture, next steps, opportunities and internships you may not have thought about or known about.”