Published: November 10, 2025
After over a decade in the Office of Advising, I’ve learned that a well-thought-out daily plan is only a suggestion. Every morning, I start with a neatly stacked calendar, tasks to complete, and people to outreach to, and every afternoon ends somewhere completely different. The heart of the role isn’t about checking items off a list; it’s about holding space for pivotal moments that truly reroute a life.
There are some days that I feel like I have a plan in place and I can start with a cup of coffee and a well thought-out to-do list. Then there are other days when you don’t feel like you’ve made any headway. Each email sent out generates a dozen more. You may have someone panicking about a registration hold because of a past-due balance. There might be another excitedly announcing that they’ve finally chosen a major after many semesters of indecision and trying out different intro courses to different majors. In between, there’s the usual flurry of inquiries from faculty, reminders about campus events, and a note from various other departments on campus asking for help sorting out a student’s eligibility for funding, athletics, or student resources.
That sounds like a lot, right? Let’s collectively take a deep breath. Always, my primary focus is the student right there in front of me. We live “Student-Focused Everyday” in the Office of Advising. The most important work is the conversations. Each student who sits down across from me brings a whole world with them. I can see it on their faces – the uncertainties, the frustrations, the celebrations. Each with their own story, journey, and end goal, and sometimes it’s a first-year student trying to make sense of the course catalog, the frustration of a senior who just realized they’re missing a requirement and may not be able to graduate, or the quiet pride of someone who’s pulled their GPA back up after struggling for the last few semesters.
Being a University Advisor isn’t just about knowing the policies, the curriculum, or finding the right class combination; it’s about listening. It’s about helping students find the “why” behind what they’re doing and reminding them that setbacks don’t define them. Oftentimes, it’s the small steps that make the greatest distance. Sometimes, the conversation is about transferring credits or figuring out if dropping a class makes sense. Other times, it’s about fear, burnout, or the feeling of not belonging. We learn to shift gears constantly, offering guidance one moment and reassurance the next.
Between meetings, there’s a constant rhythm of problem-solving and planning, checking degree progress, meeting with colleagues about curriculum changes, and reaching out to students who haven’t registered yet. Collaboration is everything. We work closely with faculty, residential life, financial aid counselors, admissions, registration, career services, and other student support resources on and off campus. It takes a network to support a student, and the University Advisor is often the bridge that connects all the pieces.
But the most rewarding moments aren’t on spreadsheets or reports (shhh, don’t tell upper-level administration), they’re in the small interactions that remind you why the work matters. When a student who once said “I don’t think I’m cut out for college” proudly talks about applying to grad school, or when a student who’s been through more than most adults ever will still shows up, ready to keep going. We need to show up too.
Of course, there are tough days. Days when you can’t fix what’s broken for someone, when the bureaucracy feels heavy, or when you carry a student’s story home in your thoughts long after work ends. But even then, there’s meaning in showing up, to listen, to guide, to care.
Advising, at its heart, is about people. It’s about believing in students, even when they don’t yet believe in themselves. It’s the quiet, steady work that happens behind the scenes of every success story. And while the days may be unpredictable, the purpose never changes: helping students find their path and reminding them they don’t have to walk it alone. So my question for you is, how are you showing up for our students?
