Feeling lost? Having trouble navigating your courses, future or university path? Have no fear - your academic advisors are here!

Your academic advisors in university are invaluable resources that you should absolutely take advantage of.

I’m going to tell you all the reasons why you should go visit them, and how they can help you in so many different ways when various scenarios come up throughout your university career.

Each faculty has their own advising team. I recommend seeing them as early as possible. Go visit them and get into contact with them early on in your first year!

They can help you choose your courses

Your academic advisors know your faculty’s program maps and course options better than anyone.

You can go to them with your plan in mind - or if you have no plan, that’s okay too - and they can help you select which courses you should take based on your goals and where you want to be in life.

Keep in mind that they will guide you to making your own decisions, they aren't going to tell you what to do.

But, if you go to them with an idea of where you think you want to end up or what you think you are interested in, they can provide you with some options and help guide you to see what the best path for you may be. 

Planning your future

Meet all of our advisors!

If you have no idea what you want to do with your life, I recommend talking to your advisor.

When I was in my first year, I was so lost and confused. I had no idea what kind of job I wanted, where I wanted to be in five years; I didn't even know what major I wanted to be enrolled in or what classes to take.

So I made several appointments with my advisor and was able to unveil what my interests were, what classes I could take to be on that path, what program I should be in and even what career I wanted.

I ended up switching majors, and schools! It didn't happen in one appointment, it took a few different sessions of me trying to hold it together, while my advisor coached me and helped me figure out what I wanted.

Since then, I have been able to work towards my end goal of my career, and have been able to focus on smaller goals we set for me along the way and I have achieved everything I've set out to so far. I owe a lot to my advisor for putting things into perspective for me and guiding me along the way. 

Changing paths 

It's okay to change your mind and switch things up. Like I just said, I ended up changing gears part way through my first year. You don't need to feel like you're lost or confused, you can see your advisor!

If you don't think you're in the right program, or on the right track in life in general, you can speak to an academic advisor about it, and come up with some solutions to put you on whatever path is right for you.

Don't worry if you're at a fork in the road, most of us go through that in university, and you can always switch things up!

Your academic advisor can help you have the smoothest transition possible, and give you all the information you'll need to do so.

Staying on track

Now that I have a plan and things to strive for, and I'm in my upper years of university, I still check in with my advisors at least on a yearly basis.

Everyone has a program map they need to follow in order to graduate, so I like to connect with my faculty's advising team to make sure I'm on the right track and taking all of the courses I need to in order to graduate.

I would advise (haha) that you start doing this in your first or even second year, before it's too late! You don't want to make it to fourth year only to be told you can't graduate because you missed a credit early on. 

If you're struggling 

Life still goes on while you're in school, things happen. If there are things affecting your performance, and therefore your grades, let your advisors know.

They can help you come up with a plan about how to best address and manage it. They're very understanding and can help you adjust however is needed. 

Basically, advisors are superheros and can help you with just about everything academic-related. They're wonderful people you should connect with as soon as possible when you arrive at our university, for any of the reasons listed above.

Please let me know in the comments below how an advisor has helped you, or let me know if you have any questions about our academic advisors!

Want to learn more about the programs our advisors are working in? Download our viewbook to get a better idea of what our university has to offer.