Advising

As an Honors student, you enjoy the benefit of two advisors—your regular academic advisor and the director of the Honors Program.  Dual advisors encourage and support your progress toward completion of the requirements of your major and of the Honors Program.  Honors has a long history of working with academic advisors across campus to help students, so you can be assured that you will not be placed in the uncomfortable position of having to choose between competing suggestions offered by your advisors.

Purpose
Our purpose in Honors advising is to support students as they explore and articulate long-term goals to create meaningful lives for themselves, and to assist them as they select courses and both extra and co-curricular activities in the service of those goals.  Advising is, of course, a collaborative endeavor of developing plans and working out concerns so that students can become their own best selves.

Advising Resources
Fairmont State catalogue is available online at http://www.fairmontstate.edu/publications/catalogs/default.asp.  

Model Schedules for majors available at Academic Advising Office 218 Hardway Hall.

Advising Opportunities

E-mail: E-mail is a good way for very quick questions.  It is not appropriate, though, for advising.

Walk-ins: Short appointments of fifteen to twenty minutes are available during the Director’s office hours.  These times, which vary from semester to semester, are posted in the Honors Lab, the Honors Office (311 Jaynes Hall), and on the Honors website.  Walk-in  appointments are first-come, first-served.  Please be prepared to wait. 

Appointments: Longer appointments of thirty minutes can be scheduled to discuss academic plans and changes as well as personal concerns that affect academic success.

Expectations

Students are expected:

• to meet at least once a semester with the Honors director and departmental advisors, usually during the registration period.
• to bring completed forms - Honors Requirements and General Requirements to advising sessions. (These forms are available as links on Advising Documents - Right Column.) 
• to consider and follow-up on the recommendations of advisors.
• to participate actively in selecting courses and extra-and co-curricular activities that will help them meet their goals.
• to develop academic, personal, and career goals.
• to understand Fairmont State’s requirements for completing the Honors Program and their major.
• to be open to new opportunities and ideas.
• to be engaged in their studies and curious about the world.
• to become more responsible and self directed in studies and their lives.
• to conduct themselves with decency and integrity.

Advisors are expected:

• to be informed and knowledgeable about curriculum requirements, policies, and procedures and about opportunities on campus.
• to refer you to appropriate resources on campus.
• to engage with your in developing your best self.
• to respect the confidentiality of your concerns.

The Honors staff is often present in the office. If you need more privacy, just say so.