Advising Handbook

Purpose of Advising

To assist students in

• adjusting to college life
• clarifying their life and career goals
• the development and execution of educational plans to realize those goals
• finding opportunities to develop soft skills needed to be successful in the workplace
• becoming career-ready (resumes, cover letters, interviewing, networking)

The following files are meant to assist you with your advising duties. They contain advice, FAQs, and links to other useful resources for faculty and advisors. 

• Advising Handbook 
• Advising Checklist
• Math Placement Test Guide
• World Language Placement Test Guide
• REACH Act Advising Guide
• Financial Aid Cheat Sheet 
• Holds FAQ 

Advising Tools Tip Sheets

Set Up Appointments

• Set Up Office Hours in Starfish
• Find Student Contact Information in Starfish 
• Send an Advising To Do in Starfish to remind students to make an advising appointment
• Send Students Instructions for Making an Advising Appointment in Starfish
• Send Students a Teams Meeting Calendar Event Invite or a Guest Link to a Blackboard Collaborate Session  if conducting virtual advising meetings

Check Student Progress

• Check Advisees' Midterm Grades in Starfish
• Make Referrals in Starfish
• Send Students Instructions for Viewing their Degreeworks Degree Audit
• Check Student's Progress Toward Degree in Degreeworks  
  • Notify your department chair or designated department contact of any edits or changes that need to be made to your student's Degreeworks major worksheet
  • Make any Notes in Degreeworks 
  • Determine whether your advisee will be graduating next term and refer the student to your department chair or departmental designee for a graduation check. They will click Apply to Graduate in Self-Service Carolina after grades are processed at the end of the term. See the Graduation area in Student Tab Overview Video Tutorial
• Confirm Catalog Year in Self-Service Carolina and submit a Change Catalog Year Form if your curriculum has recently changed significantly in ways that benefit the student (see the most recent academic catalog for comparison)

Prepare to Register for Classes

• Send Students the Registration Guide
• Send Students the Video Instructions for Registering for Classes 
• Search Self-Service Carolina Course Schedule  to provide guidance on relevant courses that will be offered this term
• Search Self-Service Carolina Schedule by Instructional Mode  (student view) for online, hybrid, HyFlex, or face-to-face classes
• Learn more about instructional modes and course attributes
• Share the student guide to online and hybrid course formats
• See more University of South Carolina System Advising Videos and PDF Resources 
• Check Student's Holds and Registration Time  in Self-Service Carolina
• Lift Advising Hold, if relevant to your academic unit