Every NMU student is assigned an academic adviser who can provide assistance with many aspects of the college experience such as guidance in registering for courses, career advice and networking and providing letters of recommendation. Students should consider the advising process a valuable NMU resource and take advantage of meeting with their adviser on a regular basis - at least once a semester. It is mandatory for freshmen to meet with their advisers before registering for courses.
Find your adviser
If you forgot who your assigned academic adviser is, you can look it up at http://mynmu.nmu.edu. After logging in, click the Student Services folder tab, click the Academic Services folder tab, click View Student Information, your adviser's current major and minor are displayed. Contact the secretary of the department of your major to change advisers.
Advising and registration
Make an appointment with your adviser well in advance of registration. Also, take care of any holds (adviser, financial, medical, etc.) as soon as you can, as you will not be allowed to register for anything until the holds are lifted.
Please do:
- Pay attention to information coming via e-mail from the Registrar, Academic and Career Advisement Center and your adviser.
- Prepare to meet your adviser. You should do so early and often every semester.
- Go online to look at courses being offered. Remember to write down course registration numbers (CRN) in case you need to refer to them later without the benefit of being online.
- Go to your adviser with a tentative course schedule. Be prepared that he or she may advise you to take different courses.
- Talk to your adviser about some alternative courses in case the courses you chose are closed when you are registering.
- Ask for help if you need it. Your adviser wants you to succeed.
Do not:
- Wait until the last minute to see your academic adviser. You might just be surprised to find that you’ve moved to the back of the line.
- Go to your adviser un- or under-prepared.
- Depend on your adviser to select your courses for you.
- Rely on your roommate, a friend down the hall, your landlord, etc., to serve as your adviser or to definitively provide answers to policy questions.
- Select courses based on other students’ opinions of an instructor. They may dislike an instructor that you’ll truly enjoy.
- Accept “I don’t know” as a definitive answer. Go to other advisers in your department, department head, ACAC, until you find someone who can provide you the information you need.
- Be afraid to ask for help. Don’t leave a meeting with your adviser confused. Keep talking until you understand the information being provided.