Adrianne Toles-Williams, Managing Editor
As the days of Spring 2021 come closer to the end of the semester, the academic advising office is gearing up to coach and guide students through planning the best next step. Director of Academic Advising, Michele Goldys hopes that more students are able to not only learn about but utilize the workshops and resources that will be highlighted during advising week March 22nd through March 26th.
“Advising week in March is to help students prepare and get ready for Summer and Fall registration,” Goldys said. Although advising week has been a part of Daytona State College for years, upon assuming the role of Advising Director, Goldys has pushed not only herself but her department as well, to take advantage of advising week and to organize workshops that ensure students are aware of all the resources in place to help them succeed.
The various presentations that will be available during that week from Online Student Services, Career Services, Academic Services, and others are what Goldys hopes will “give students the opportunity to learn more about all the support options we have, because we know that for students to be successful they need more than just the right schedule.”
The workshop topics and a schedule for these virtual workshops are available for viewing on the Daytona State College website listed under Advising Week.
The schedules for the upcoming semesters will be available for viewing during advising week for students to begin the planning processes. Students will be able to work with advisors to develop their Falcon Flight Plan for success in the upcoming semesters.
Registration will be available for all students on April 1st, but early registration will be rolled out in tiers based on the total credits earned at the end of Fall 2020.
Students with 45+ credit hours or veterans will be able to register for their classes on March 29th, followed by registration for students with 30+ credits on March 30th. Finally, students who have earned 15+ credit hours at the conclusion of the fall will be able to register for their courses beginning March 31st.
Goldys urges students to take advantage of this chance to register for courses early and to complete the 2021-2022 FAFSA application to allow for a seamless transition through the rest of their journeys at Daytona State College.
Despite the safety limitations in place due to Covid-19, the advising office has utilized the online resources available to better prepare for appointments with students. Phone, virtual, and face-to-face appointments can be made with advisors by calling the Academic Advising office and will guarantee the ability to customize students’ plans for success without long lines or wait times at the office.
Beyond academic advice, Goldys has used nudge campaigns to reach out to students via email to check in with them throughout the semester. “It was very important that I made sure that students know that we are here to support them, even though we aren’t physically here, we are still here,” Goldys emphasized. “It’s been a really rough year for everyone, and so I don’t want students to feel like they are alone or isolated. Using those nudge campaigns have allowed me to connect with them directly.”
Daytona State College also offers Counseling and Accessibility Services for students to have additional conversations if need be to cope with the mental health stresses from college life amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
Whether students have questions, a goal that needs to be translated into a concrete plan, or uncertainty about the right questions to ask, the academic advising office on campus is “here to make sure you are connected to somebody and supported all the way to graduation.”
Hundreds of students utilize the Academic Advising services weekly, and it is the mission of the advisors to be there to support and guide students through their academic pathways.