ADVISING 101

Academic Advising and Your Success

 Hannah Durand
Graduate Academic Advisor
Business majors

828.227.2555 | hdurand@wcu.edu
advisingcenter@email.wcu.edu
 WHAT WE’LL COVER
• Why Academic Advising & The
Advising Model
• University Policy & Academic
Standing
• General Degree Requirements
• What’s Next?

See this icon?

Take a photo of the slide with your phone!
Why Academic
Advising &
WCU Advising
Model
What’s the point of advising?
• Your advisor is a connection point to all things
WCU
• Navigate university policy
• Help you understand the requirements of your
degree and stay on track to graduation
• Connect you to various student support resources
around campus (i.e. tutoring, counseling, career
services, etc.)
• Help you strategize for the future and make
academic and career goals
• Support system outside of the classroom
Advising Model - What is Your Role?

YOU (the Advisee)

• THE DECISION MAKER
• Responsible for making and keeping appointments
• Responsible for keeping up with important dates and
deadlines
• Responsible for using all tools and resources in
making sure you are on track to graduate (Degree
Audit)
• Responsible for maintaining GOOD Academic
Standing
• Responsible for preparation for and attendance of
Advising Day
Who is Your Primary Advisor?
Professional Advisor Is your
SECONDARY Advisor ATHLETIC
ADVISOR &
• Advising is our profession SUPPORT
TEAM
Undeclared • Good foundation of general university
knowledge
• Remain with you as a resource

MINOR
Declared ADVISOR
Faculty Advisor Is your
PRIMARY ADVISOR
• Works in the department of your major
• Changes if your major changes PRE-
• PROFESSI
Knowledgeable about curriculum and
careers in your major ONAL
ADVISOR
• Receive one per major!
It gets a little
complicated…
How to Find your Primary Advisor
1) Log into myWCU
2) Click on the circular, ‘Ask Madison’ button in the bottom of the
screen
3) Click on the ‘Who is my advisor’ option

OR

4) From myWCU, select the ‘Student Profile’ link in the ‘Student

Records & Accounts’ box - this will lead you to your advising
profile
5) Under the ‘Advisors’ section, look for a name next to ‘Primary’
advisor
Advising Day
Advising Day attendance is
MANDATORY
• Advising Day for Fall 2023: February 21st
• Classes are canceled so you can meet with your
advisor
• Only your PRIMARY advisor can provide you with
your alt pin

Students should receive:

• An invitation from your PRIMARY advisor to
meet (link in email to make appointment)
• An email from your advisor on how to make
an appointment (some faculty have sign up
sheets)
• An email from your major department on
where/how to meet as a group

Check out advisingday.wcu.edu for help!

 General
Degree
Requirements
Getting a WCU Degree
ALL WCU students are required to:
✔Earn at least 120 hours
✔What are credit hours?
• Measure of course worth (1-4)
• Typically, number of hours per
week you should spend on
coursework
✔Where do these come from?
• Transfer/Early College/AP
Credits
• Liberal Studies
Core/Perspectives
• Major - from 38 to 96 hours
• Minors
✔Maintain good academic standing
✔complete all requirements for their
major as outlined on their degree
audit
Major Requirements
There are 4 main resources for exploring your
major requirements
• wcu.edu search engine – explore your major’s webpage
• catalog.wcu.edu – great resource if you just want a list
• 8-semester plan – department recommendation
• EX) Political Science B.A.
• Degree Audit – degree completion checklist
Within a major, there are usually different categories
you must satisfy
• Core/Major Requirements
• Concentration or focus area
• Electives
• Other non-course requirements (ex: required minor)
Liberal Studies
Outside of major-specific requirements, all students
are required to satisfy liberal studies course
requirements (included in advising packet)

• If you have an AA, AS, and AE degree from a NC Community

College, your Liberal Studies requirements are waived.
• Some of you may have been given a Liberal Studies Course
because at the time of your schedule creation only 9 hours
were available for you to take in FALL.
• Degrees outside of NC may waive the Liberal Studies requirement
• This is evaluated on a case-by-case basis through the Office of
the Registrar
• AAS, AFA, and AGE degrees do not waive Liberal Studies. Your
courses will be evaluated individually for transfer credit.
University
Policy &
Academic
Standing
What is FERPA?
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) affords students
certain rights with respect to their education records. These rights include:

1.The right to inspect and review the student's education records within 45
days of the day of the University receives a request for access. 
2.The right to request the amendment of the student's education records
that the student believes are inaccurate or misleading. 
3.The right to consent to disclosures of personally-identifiable information
contained in the student's education records, except to the extent that
FERPA authorizes disclosure without consent. 
4.The right to file a complaint with the Family Policy Compliance Office, US
Department of Education, 400 Maryland Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C.
20202-4605 concerning alleged failures by Western Carolina University to
comply with the requirements of FERPA.
Why grant proxy access?
Using Proxy Access, student can grant view-
only access to the following:
• Account Summary
• Tax Notification 1098-T
• Financial Aid History
• Financial Aid Award Package
• Financial Aid Status
• Student Grades (final grades only)
• Student Holds
• Student Profile
• Student Schedule – Detail
• Student Schedule – Week at a Glance

Grant access to parents, guardians, spouses, partners, etc.

How do I grant someone proxy access?

Setting up proxy access is simple. Follow the

steps below to set up custom access to your
parents, guardians, partners, etc.:

1. Log into myWCU 

2.Type ‘Proxy’ into the search menu
3.Select ‘Manage Proxy Access to My Student
Record’
4.Click ‘Add New’ to add a new proxy passcode
Good Academic Standing
• AT LEAST a 2.0 GPA

• 67% Completion Ratio = Hours completed out of hours attempted;

(semester and cumulative - WCU hours only)
Credit Grad Credit Grad
Course hours Course
e hours e
ENGL 101 3 A ENGL 101 3 A
MATH 146 3 B+ MATH 146 3 B+
HIST 281 3 A-
HIST 281 3 A-
ART 104 3 C
ART 104 3 F
GEOG 140 3 W
GEOG 140 3 W
ANTH 120 3 B
Total: 9/15 = 60%
Total: = 83%
15/18
Policies that Affect Academic
Standing
Students can use up to 16 credit hours for both course
withdrawals and grade replacements
• Withdrawals
o Withdrawals can be done independently through myWCU
o Search for “Withdraw from a Course”
o Make sure that your schedule remains OVER 12 credit hours (subtract the hours of the course/s
from the total!) before withdrawing from any classes
o If you are worried about making a mistake, ask your professional advisor!
o NOTE: ALL UNIVERSITY WITHDRAWALS need to be coordinated through the Office
of Student Retention
• Grade Replacements
o A Grade Replacement Form needs to be completed.
o Students can complete this form with ANY advisor
o The Advising Center offers Walk-In hours and this form can be completed from 8-5 Mon-Fri
o Students should submit the form to the Registrar’s Office for processing
o Both the Advising Center and Registrar’s Office are located in Killian Annex.
 What does it mean to “Drop”
vs. “Withdraw” from a class?

Add/Drop Period Withdrawal Period Withdrawals only

No penalty! (Grade of “W”) allowed under special
Today - January 23rd circumstances.
January 23rd 5:01 PM – March 24th
5 PM March 24th 5:01 PM –
5 PM May 5th 5 PM (Last Day
of Class)
Program Specific Academic Standing
Requirements

Please list any major-specific GPA/grade

requirements and pre-requisites for
admission, if applicable.

Ex) Students must maintain a 2.5 in all

coursework required by the major, excluding
liberal studies
What’s Next?
 Pull Your DEGREE AUDIT
(In depth coverage during Schedule Change Session later TODAY!)

• Login to myWCU and

click the ‘Student
Profile’ button
• Click on the ‘Degree
Evaluation’ link under
your picture
• Follow the prompts,
select Spring 2023 as
the term, & submit.
Important Dates

Jan 17 | Classes begin

Jan 23 | Drop/Add Deadline (5PM)
Feb 20 | 5th Week grades available
Feb 21 | Advising Day
Clear any holds
Meet with PRIMARY advisor
advisingday.wcu.edu
Mar 24 | Last day to withdraw with a W
May 5 | Last day of class
May 8-12 | Final exams
Class Registration and Schedule
Adjustment Session
Schedule Adjustment: ROOM & TIME
Alt Pins for Freshman students will be provided at the schedule
adjustment session

NOTE: Make sure to attend your Departmental Meeting and get

as much input as possible on your schedule before attending!