Prepare For Your Advising Session
Academic advising at UTRGV is an educational partnership between you and your advisor. Along with your advisor's knowledge, you should remember that a positive academic advising experience also depends on you taking an active role in the learning process. During peak advising and registration periods, you will only have a short amount of time with your advisor and likely a significant amount of information to cover. Together, you and your advisor will work to discover academic pathways and make essential decisions about your academic career.
Prior to meeting with your advisor, be sure to prepare the following to help maximize your session time:
- Review Your Online Degree Evaluation. Degree Works is an online degree evaluation tool in ASSIST that allows you to track your progress towards graduation by listing courses you’ve successfully completed, courses you need to complete, and any outstanding requirements you may need to graduate. Your personal degree evaluation is your guide to graduation day!
- Create Two or Three Course Schedule Options. With the use of your Degree Evaluation, check the Class Scheduler, Road Map, and your Undergraduate Catalog to create some sample course schedules on your Academic Planning Worksheet. By creating a few schedule options, you’ll have a couple of alternative options in case course sections close before your registration window opens.
- Write Down and Ask Your Questions. As you review your degree evaluation and prepare a couple of schedule options, you are bound to have a few questions. You are strongly encouraged to come with questions regarding undergraduate programs of study, academic policies, degree requirements and academic resources as you work to ensure you stay on track to graduate.
- Confirm Your Registration Dates. During your time here at UTRGV, you will have a prescheduled period to register for courses. The dates are typically based on student classification with seniors getting to register first, then juniors, sophomores, and freshmen to follow. You can find your registration date on the registration calendar.
- Check If You Have A Hold. Holds are often intended to alert you to a matter that requires your immediate attention and resolution. Therefore, before you register for the following term, you are encouraged to check if you have a hold related to admission, disciplinary, or financial matters. How do you know if you have a hold? You can log into ASSIST (click “Student Services”, then click “Registration”, and then click “View Holds”) or visit U Central. If you discover you have a hold, please contact the appropriate office for the next steps. If you see a TSI or advising hold, you will need to schedule an advising session to have the hold removed.
- Check If You Have Mandatory Advising. Some student populations have mandatory advising and are required to meet with an academic advisor for additional support. Upon the completion of the mandatory advising session, your registration hold will then be lifted for course registration. If you are not a member of the student groups listed on the mandatory advising list, then you have no advising hold and are free to register for courses that meet your degree requirements.