Classy Co-Ed’s Guide to Awesome Advising Appointments

If you’re anything like me, you’re probably trying to figure out what exactly you’re going to have to do to graduate on time (although I don’t know why anyone wants to leave college), get a good job or into graduate school, and all that good stuff. And if you’re even more like me, you probably need a little help. That’s where advisors come in: they’re a great resource for every classy co-ed if you know how to ask the right questions. I asked my advisor a few questions about how to have more productive advising appointments and now I’m passing that advice on to you.

• Do a little research- it helps to have a general idea of what you want to know. If you’re going to your advisor for advice on how to get into grad school for example, do some online searching to see what kinds of schools you think you want to go to. If there’s a class you desperately want to get into that’s full, go prepared to tell him or her exactly why you would be an asset to the class and why the class would be an asset to you
• Ask specific questions to get specific answers- I once went into my advisor and literally asked if I could switch from pre-med to pre-law and that was the only question I’d come prepared with. The answer? “Yes” and that was all. Which didn’t help me with what I actually wanted to know: what should I do to make the switch happen and still be successful? Make a list beforehand of what exactly you want to know. Write down any answers you don’t think you’ll remember later.
• Make sure you’re going to the best advisor for your questions- At Mizzou, I have two advisors specifically assigned to me (one in each of my majors), plus an Honors College advisor and the pre-law advisor. I didn’t even know there was a pre-law advisor until I was considering a double major, and found some things about law school on the Political Science website. Sometimes it helps to just dig around and send some e-mails to feel out the resources your school offers.
• Bring any important documents with you- If you want to discuss your chances of getting into a major program, internship, or graduate school, you’ll probably need copies of your transcripts, recommendation letters, test scores, etc so your advisor doesn’t have to waste time looking things up and he or she has all the information.
• Try to get to know your advisor and maintain a relationship with him/her- the more you get to know your advisor, the more he or she will know (and care) about you too. Your advisor sees lots of students who just pass through, asking requisite questions and never pausing to learn his or her name. Some advisors are really cool people, and if they know you, when opportunities come across their desks that would be perfect for you, they’ll let you know and maybe even write you a recommendation letter.

Kat McClain is an intern at College Lifestyles ™. She attends the University of Missouri-Columbia, is a member of Alpha Chi Omega, and is extremely excited about the start of football season. Go Tigers! She also enjoys reading magazines, watching trashy TV, and listening to the new Katy Perry cd.

A Few of My Favorite Things

As a new intern here at College Lifestyles, I thought it might be nice to kind of introduce myself to everyone with the short list of the things that I love the most (because the long list would never be finished).

1. My mom- I have the most wonderful relationship with my mom, and I’m so glad to have such a strong, positive, graceful, and classy woman to look up to. If you’ve ever seen the show Gilmore Girls (another one of my favorite things), we’re actually not unlike Lorelai and Rory.2. Music- I love all kinds of music. On a bad day, Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, Kelly Clarkson, or the music from Glee can almost always cheer me up. On the flip side, when I’m in a good mood, there’s nothing better than an upbeat tune to keep me pumped up. I love to dance and to sing along to all my favorite songs (especially during impromtu dance parties with my sisters and on the car ride home from school to do laundry).
3. TV on DVD and on the internet- I love tons of TV shows, but because I’m extremely busy (double major, Greek life, early graduation, June LSAT, other campus activities, social life, etc.), I almost never get the chance to watch them on TV. Therefore, I have become a Hulu.com addict. I can watch current shows on my own time, anywhere I can get an internet connection. Also, I can watch shows that are off the air now (Will and Grace, Gilmore Girls, Friends, and Sex and the City mostly) and shows that come on cable channels that I don’t get at school (True Blood and Dexter) whenever I want to and over and over again.

4. My best friends- In addition to some of the best sisters in the world, I have the most incredible group of best friends back home and from living in the dorms last year. While sisterhood is a friendship unlike any other, having best friends outside of my letters isn’t something I would ever give up.

5. Wild Cherry Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, Soy White Chocolate Mochas, and Pumpkin spice lattes- As much as I love to sleep, I find it happens a lot less often than I’d like, so I am also pretty heavily caffiennated most of the time. I love Starbucks coffee (and my new RED tumbler that donates a percentage of my coffee purchase to charity) and around lunch, I usually choose one of my guilty pleasure sodas.
6. My planner, dry erase calendars, and other organizational type stuff- I love, love, love the feeling I get when all of my stuff is in the right place and easy to find when I need it to study, write papers, take notes, or whatever. My planner and dry erase calendars (one weekly and one monthly) help me keep track of due dates, fun sorority events, meetings, and plans with friends. With a schedule as busy as mine, writing every little thing down is one of the only ways to stay sane.

7. My wonderful sorority sisters- Here at Mizzou, home of the Tigers, we just finished formal recruitment, and I’m so excited to welcome our new members into our fantastic sisterhood. My sisters are always there for me when I need a laugh or a hug or a shoulder to cry on. Going through sisterhood week and recruitment week with them since I moved in to our lovely house in early August has been an absolute blast.

8. Jewelry- I love to dress up my preppy (think Sperry boat shoes, Miss Me jeans, and Hollister graphic tees and polos) style with fun, romantic, and vintage-y jewelry whenever possible.

9. Magazines- I love to just curl up listening to Lady Antebellum or Justin Beiber (yes, I have the fever) reading Cosmopolitan or Glamour from cover to cover. It’s a nice way to relax and unwind from a stressful day or recover from a big test. I love reading the style, hair, and make-up tips (although I’m usually too timid to try most of them).

10. Flowers and butterflies- I am allergic to pollen, but I absolutely adore receiving flowers. I love red carnations (my sorority’s flower), peonies, roses, lilies, orchids, and Gerber daisies especially. Butterflies remind me that things really do change, since all butterflies start out as caterpillars and then transform into something beautiful with just a little bit of hard work. Flowers and butterflies remind me that there really is so much beauty in the world even on my worst days.

I hope that was a fun little insight into my personality and I’m so excited to be writing for College Lifestyles. Hopefully you’re excited to read more too.

XOXO,

Kat =)

Kat McClain is an intern at College Lifestyles (TM). She is also a junior at the University of Missouri-Columbia, studying psychology and communications. She is currently obsessed with the song “Teenage Dream” and the new student center on Mizzou’s campus.

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