5 Reasons Canadian Students Should Book an Advising Appointment [3 min read]

Planning is the key to success as a university student. Whether you’re a new or returning student, the CBU Academic Advising team is here to help you. New students may be left with questions after reviewing their First Year Advising Email and want additional support as they prepare to begin their academic journey. CBU is happy to offer both virtual and in-person Academic Advising appointments for all first year students. During these appointments,  you will meet with a Student Development Officer (also known as an Academic Advisor).  

In your appointment, Student Development Officers will walk you through the requirements for your program, discuss any questions you might have and help you plan for the future while making sure you stay on track to graduate. As a Canadian student, attending an advising appointment can be especially helpful to set you up for success from your first day on campus. 

Here are five reasons Canadian students should book an advising appointment today:

1. Customize your degree to your unique strengths and interests.

Before heading to CBU, you may have your entire future planned out. Maybe you only have a general idea, or perhaps you have no idea what direction you want to take. Regardless of which category you fall into, Academic Advising appointments will be an extremely useful resource for you. Our goal at CBU is to help you tailor your degree to your unique strengths and interests, and it all starts with a simple conversation. We want to get to know you so we can help you pick the courses and paths that best suit you as an individual. 

2. Parallel Planning.

Selecting your degree or courses may not always be a concrete commitment. Things change over time and students often discover new interests along the way. Student Development Officers, want to help you prepare for many different outcomes and possible career paths. You don’t have to come to your appointment with your entire degree or career already mapped out. It’s their job to help navigate those options with you. Parallel planning gives you the opportunity to move forward with one plan while having  another option run parallel to it. That way, if you decide you need a change at any point in your degree, you don’t have to start from scratch. For example, if a BEng student discovers they have a passion for biology, they may want to switch paths and opt for a BSc in year-two. Their BEng credits can fit in as electives to a BSc and they can continue forward from there.

You may enter CBU thinking you want to pursue a career in Nursing, but after feeling nauseous in your first few anatomy labs, you decide a career in Physiotherapy is more appealing. Because you’ve considered parallel planning, you could already have a number of other science courses in your plan.

3. Connecting you with opportunities – internships, work placements (co-op), transfer credits, studying abroad (the “Launching Off” point)

Whether it is your first year or your final, an Academic Advising appointment can act as your launch point to new opportunities. Not only is an appointment a great way to learn about some of CBU’s more unique courses and programs, it’s also a way to learn about internships, work placements, transfer credits and even opportunities for studying abroad. While some students may think an Academic Advising appointment is limited to advice on course selection, our Student Development Officers can help open doors to so many other opportunities.

4. Keeping you on track to graduate

While we do highly recommend First-Year Academic Advising appointments as an especially important part of the university experience, advising remains available to any student at any time in the form of Student Success Coaching. One of the main reasons to continuously seek out your Student Success team is to ensure you stay on track to graduate. The team will help make sure the courses you are taking align with your unique course progression and can connect you with success coaching or other support options as needed. 

5. Helping you plan for life after CBU

While our Student Development Officers specialize in helping students map out their path at CBU, your journey does not end when you graduate, and neither does their support. Our Student Development Officers want to chat with you about your plans for further education or careers after your time at CBU. Whether you’re exploring medical school eligibility, dreaming of a career as a CPA or want to open your own business, they can help you create a path you can follow to success. CBU Student Development Officers have one goal – seeing you succeed!  

To book an academic advising appointment, please visit: cbu.ca/advising