Connecting with your academic advisor is an essential part of your time at PSU. We recommend meeting with your advisor at least once a year, but, at a minimum, you are required to meet with your academic advisor in your first two terms at PSU. This is to ensure that you understand your requirements and are making the right choices to stay on track towards your degree.
Below are some frequently asked questions to help clarify this requirement. For further clarification, please email advising@pdx.edu.
Who is my advisor?
You are assigned an advisor within one of PSU's Advising Pathways; this is based on your major or pre-professional program (e.g., medicine, education, law). You can find your advisor listed in your myPSU account. If you do not have an assigned advisor, you can meet with any advisor in your Advising Pathway that works with your program or email advising@pdx.edu for a referral. If you are still exploring majors, meet with an advisor in the Advising Pathway that best matches your academic interests.
You may also have a faculty advisor or a program advisor (Honors, Multicultural Retention Programs, Athletics, etc.). In most cases, you should see your pathway advisor for your First-Year Advising appointment.
When should I meet with my advisor?
Any time during your first two terms, but we recommend checking in before registering for your third term. The Schedule of Classes for the next term comes out around Halloween, Valentine’s Day, and Mother’s Day, so these are good times to schedule your appointment. Advisors are especially busy in the weeks leading to registration and can be booked out 3 weeks or more, so do not delay scheduling your appointment. Consult the Academic Calendar to work around priority registration dates.
After that, you should continue to meet with your advisor at least once a year to assure that you are making progress towards your degree and that you are taking advantage of all of the opportunities available to you.
I am a transfer student. Do I need to meet with an advisor?
Yes. The requirement is for both entering first-year and new transfer students. While we understand that you are experienced in college, each institution is different and our advisors want to assure that you understand the uniqueness of PSU’s graduation requirements, academic policies, deadlines, and support services.
I transferred as a senior and will only be at PSU for one year. Do I need to meet with an advisor?
Yes. In fact, your advisor will review your final graduation plan and help you apply for your degree.
What will happen when I meet with my advisor?
Some of the topics your advisor can assist you with include:
- Understanding your graduation requirements and creating a degree plan
- Accessing appropriate financial tools and resources and directing you to financial support services
- Confirming your major choice and/or helping you identify a major that suits your skills, values, interests, and goals (to be done before you reach 90 credits, or during the first term, if you are a transfer student)
- Exploring careers (to be done before you reach 90 credits, or during the first term, if you are a transfer student)
- Reviewing your final graduation plan and applying for your degree!
I saw an advisor at Orientation. Why do I have to do it again?
Orientation is designed to prepare you for your first term at PSU; your first-year advising is intended to help you beyond that.
I met with my advisor already, but I keep getting notifications that I have not. How can I fix this?
Advisors see many students each day for a variety of reasons and checking off the requirement could be overlooked, especially if you did not mention that the purpose of your appointment was your first-year advising requirement. It could be that your interaction was unrelated to your graduation requirements or your advisor did not feel you had a good understanding of your requirements at the time of your meeting. Check back in with your advisor about this.
I changed my major. Do I meet with an advisor in my first major or my new major?
Since the intent of the requirement is to understand your graduation requirements and to connect you with an advisor in your major, you should meet with someone in the major you plan to pursue. You also should change your major on your student record in your myPSU account so that the new department may contact you. If you are unsure about whether you should change majors, talk with your advisor about your options.