In the next few weeks, most of us are going to be going through one of the most bittersweet experiences in a student’s time at college: the start of the fall semester. Withholding those who took summer courses and similar workloads, many returning students are going to be experiencing or re-experiencing that happiness of returning to college and seeing your friends, mixed in with the anxiety of knowing you have, once again, many months’ worth of work ahead of you.

One of the most intimidating and overwhelming obstacles that all students have to face, time and time again, is figuring out their courses, schedule and academic trajectory. It becomes especially nerve-racking when you compare the differences between how the process is handled in high school and college, so first-year students will especially be feeling that pressure.

This is one of the main reasons that college advisers exist. One of their main purposes is to educate and guide students in their academic careers. They can provide needed support, from finding ways to help improve students’ academic performance to simplifying and de-stressing complicated processes like schedule organizing and aiding incoming transfer students.

Unfortunately, the sad truth is that, according to researchers, many students just don’t use these resources to their full extent. Researchers at Indiana University found that 24 percent of all students surveyed only met with academic advisers once per year, and 9 percent never met with an adviser at all. This is very concerning, as it alludes to either an indifference towards optimizing your academic progress, or an ignorance about how impactful an adviser’s work can really be. 

I know that it’s very tempting, and way easier, to just meet with your adviser when you have to. However, the major difference between us and them is usually a couple of extra decades of experience in the academic world. They are the ones who can answer those tough questions you may have about your academic future, your possible change in majors, and much, much more.

I’ve definitely made the mistake of not meeting frequently enough with my college adviser. Before I changed my major, I didn’t really even understand the purpose of meeting with your adviser besides receiving some basic tips and getting your hold taken off for the next semester. However, when I changed into my communications major and was faced with a whole new mountain of work and responsibility that I wasn’t yet familiar with, those meetings with my adviser helped me view my new situation more clearly, and get a grip on what I needed to do.

The NC State Academic Advising website lists the objectives and responsibilities of advisers, which include assisting in students’ “academic success, major selection, career development, and personal enrichment.” It also states that advisers can help in the difficult processes of major or minor changes, assisting newly-transferred students and other types of necessary support for students.

It’s shown that meeting with your adviser and getting a grasp on your responsibilities can do more than just ease some worries. Charlie Nutt, the National Academic Advising Association executive director, told the Hechinger Report that skilled advisers can help keep students motivated and reduce the temptation to not see their college career through. Additionally, Nutt stated that advisers can be key components in teaching students time management and, in many cases, a vital intermediary in the student-administration relationship.

There’s no need to be stubbornly independent when it comes to your academic career. While college is definitely the place where most young adults learn the values of responsibility and self-discipline the hard way, that doesn’t mean you need to be a one-person army against the challenges ahead of you. Besides your family and friends, your advisers can help bring you understanding, motivation, and support during your time in college.