OUR VIEW: No more mediocre advising for students

The futures and careers of 20,000 students are being molded by the hands of the 168 advisers at Utah State University.

Hopefully, the advisers are molding the students right, but so far, it’s not working. There are not enough advisers for all the students at USU and students aren’t getting the advice they need.

Especially during registration week, it is very difficult to make an appointment with an adviser. Students are getting the run around.

Once a student finally does get to talk to his adviser, he has to spill all his questions in an average of two minutes so not to waste too much of his adviser’s time. Then, the adviser writes a list of general classes the student needs to take on a scrap piece of paper and sends him on his way.

This situation is all too familiar to many students who want some real counseling on career options, which classes are good to take, what to expect after graduation, and the pros and cons of different degrees.

An adviser should establish a relationship with his students. Granted, students should do their homework before they come in by having questions ready and a good idea of what they want to do for a degree. Advisers shouldn’t expect the students to know everything. That is what the advisers are there for, to give the advice they have been giving for most of their careers.

A change needs to be made. There needs to be more advisers and more attention being paid to the students. Then maybe they will be molded into something worthwhile. Students would graduate on time and contribute immensely to the university and society.