All Northern Michigan University students are encouraged to meet regularly with their Student Success Specialist. Freshmen are required to meet with Specialists before registering for the next semester's courses. Along with providing guidance on course selection, advisers are an invaluable resource to students because they usually know who to contact to get questions answered and problems solved.

Advising and registration

Make an appointment with your Specialist well in advance of registration. Also, take care of any holds (adviser, financial, medical, etc.) as soon as you can. You will not be allowed to register until the holds are lifted. If you don't know who your Student Success Specialist is, you can access that information at mynmu.nmu.edu under the Students Information tab and Academic Information menu.

Things to do to get the greatest benefit from advising:

  • Pay attention to information coming via e-mail from the Registrar, Academic and Career Advisement Center and your Specialist.
  • Prepare to meet your Specialist. You should do so early and often every semester.
  • Go online to look at courses being offered. Remember to write down the course registration number (CRN) in case you need to refer to it later without the benefit of being online.
  • Go to your Student Success Specialist with a tentative course schedule. Be prepared that he or she may advise you to take different courses.
  • Talk to your Specialist about some alternative courses in case the courses you chose are closed when you are registering.
  • Ask for help if you need it. Your Specialist wants you to succeed.
  • Let your Specialist (or an economics professor) know early on if you plan to pursue graduate studies in economics. The course selection in this case becomes critical very soon.

The "don't" do tips for advising:

  • Don't wait until the last minute to see your Student Success Specialist. You might just be surprised to find that you've moved to the back of the line.
  • Don't go to your Specialist un- or under-prepared.
  • Don't depend on your Specialist to select your courses for you.
  • Don't 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.
  • Don't select courses based on other students' opinions of an instructor. They may dislike an instructor that you'll truly enjoy.
  • Don't accept "I don't know" as a definitive answer. Go to other Specialists in your department, the department head or ACAC, until you find someone who can provide you the information you need.
  • Don't be afraid to ask for help. Don't leave a meeting with your Specialist confused. Keep talking until you understand the information being provided.