"We're Drifting Apart": Advising Students in Different Academic Areas

Every Mentor has had the experience of sitting down with a student who is pursuing a degree program very different than the Mentor teaches in--or even is familiar with. How do you advise such a student?

Sometimes, it's best if you don't advise the student. They may need more specialized help than you can provide. Examples of when this might be the case include students who are majoring in very specialized programs, such as Engineering, Music, and the Art BFA programs. These programs are structured enough that students taking a wrong course can throw off the course sequencing by a year.

But it may make sense to have your mentoring student meet with someone else if they have already formed an advising relationship with a faculty member in their major department. The trick is to determine whether that's actually happened or not. Students sometimes suggest they've met with someone, but in fact they haven't received any advising at all, and we don't want to be in a position of helping a student circumvent a sensible advising process.

So, if the student has already met with someone, one option is to send the student's registration information (alternate pin and time) to that faculty member--email is usually quickest. And if the student really wants or needs to meet with someone in another department, but doesn't know speficially who, there are a couple of routes you can take. One is to call an advisor in Academic Advising, 303.871.2455, or Rifkin Center for Student Services (business), 303.871.2126. We can help you and the student find an appropriate advisor. The other route is to call the administrative assistant or secretary for that department. We would encourage you, however, not to give the registration information to the student and assume they will find an appropriate advisor elsewhere.

If you feel comfortable talking with the student about their program requirements, then do go ahead and talk with them. This tends to work just fine for students who are well prepared and have already researched what they would like to take. It tends to work less well with students who are less self-directed.

In the end, we want students to get accurate advising, so they can make good decisions about their academic program. If you are not sure you are the right person or are giving the right advice, call an advisor, and we'll help you and your students find the right information.

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