The School of Management has two full-time advisors, who are qualified and dedicated to providing both advising and academic counseling services to students. They are committed to helping you make the most of your education. They are available to meet with you and discuss your degree progress in a one-on-one, confidential setting. You can feel comfortable knowing that your success is important to your advisors and they are prepared to help you overcome the struggles you encounter as you pursue your degree.
Phone: (810) 762-3160, Email: brendaha@umich.edu
What is the difference between a Counselor and an Advisor?
Counselors are professionally trained to address personal issues, resolve academic anxiety, assist students in choosing career fields and majors, and problem-solve other academic difficulties. With students on restricted academic or financial aid status, counselors work to develop individual success plans, which address the specific issues inhibiting academic success. Counselors can help with the following issues:
- Provide short term personal counseling for issues that may interfere with studies
- Facilitate decision making on educational and career goals
- Facilitate college adjustment for in-coming freshmen (homesickness, time management, depression, anxiety)
- Facilitate college adjustment for returning adult students (balancing roles of student, parent, spouse, and/or employee).
- Teach coping skills and stress management
- Develop individualized retention interventions
- Interpret career inventories and provide career counseling
Advisors specialize in matters pertaining to your educational program: college policies, placement/assessment test interpretation, degree requirements, transferability, schedule planning, and graduation checks. Advisors can help with the following issues:
- Help with course selection
- Facilitate educational transactions; e.g., schedules, drop/adds, withdrawals, change of major, waivers, graduation requirements, etc.
- Clarify instructional policies, procedures, and requirements
- Provide general information on special services including academic remediation, admission, placement testing, courses of study, and registration
- Explain course transfer differences between institutions
- Interpret placement scores and recommend appropriate classes.
Student/Advisor Relationship
You can expect an advisor to act in a professional manner at all times. Your advisor will:
Keep your information confidential. The information shared during your appointment, as well as grades, class attendance, and academic progress, will only be shared with others with your expressed, written permission.
Encourage you to make an appointment to discuss complex academic matters. This limits the risk of misunderstanding by both yourself and your advisor.
Advisor Limitations
While your advisor will be informative and helpful, please keep in mind:
Your advisor may not have all the answers. However, they will be willing to find out where you can get the answers and to encourage you to use additional campus resources for services they cannot provide.
Your advisor will not make decisions for you. Your advisor can provide advice and suggestions, but you must make decisions for yourself.
Your advisor cannot evade University policies and procedures or make special exceptions. You can count on your advisor to support and advocate on your behalf if possible and also to assist you in finding solutions to the challenges you face.