My Advising Approach

What I Offer as a Personal Academic Advisor

I draw on decades of experience in higher education in my advising. I understand it from all the important angles: as an undergraduate student, a graduate student, a professor, an advisee, an academic advisor, and a co-leader of a program designed to help undeclared majors find their passion and create a holistic academic plan.

  • Decades of experience in higher education
  • 15 years of experience as a college professor and academic advisor
  • Co-led program designed to help undeclared majors find their passion
  • Ph.D. in development sociology
  • Languages: English and Japanese
  • Decades of experience in higher education
  • 15 years of experience as a college professor and academic advisor
  • Co-led program designed to help undeclared majors find their passion
  • Ph.D. in development sociology
  • Languages: English and Japanese

I draw on decades of experience in higher education in my advising. I understand it from all the important angles: as an undergraduate student, a graduate student, a professor, an advisee, an academic advisor, and a co-leader of a program designed to help undeclared majors find their passion and create a holistic academic plan.

I work with students to help them:     

  • transition from high school to college
  • prioritize coursework without missing out on college life
  • get through big and small academic crises
  • identify goals and concrete steps to achieve them
  • apply for scholarships, internships, and experiential learning opportunities
  • balance classes with social life, work and other obligations
  • develop skills and habits for long-term success
  • cultivate and sustain motivation
  • become active, engaged learners within and beyond the classroom
  • explore majors/minors and create a holistic academic plan
  • connect interests with potential careers
  • explore and apply for graduate school, jobs, and other post-graduate opportunities

How I Approach Advising

I advise the whole person. How well a student does in their courses is shaped by factors and circumstances that are too often considered separate from academics. Getting to know students as complex individuals helps me understand how to support them academically.

I listen. I ask. I listen some more. I don’t judge. I know how to draw out of a student their experiences as a learner. I pay attention to what they say (and don’t say) about how they are doing academically and their assessment of why things are going the way they are. I offer a clean slate, free of judgment.
 
We plan. Academic advising is a collaborative effort between myself and the student. Together we identify short- and long-term goals and develop a plan for achieving them. Coming up with a genuinely workable plan involves identifying what might get in the way of forward progress, as well as the skills and resources students already possess that will help them succeed.
 
We layer goals for long-term success. By helping students become aware of what it takes to achieve a specific goal, they develop skills and habits that set them up for long-term success. Whether their aim is to catch up in multiple classes or choose a major, we always build in the additional goal(s) of developing the skills to accomplish it. I work with students to identify detailed steps to achieve their goals and help them stay conscious of their efforts in the process. As a result, they gain confidence and learn how to get things done.

We assess. Along the way, we talk frankly about what is working and what isn’t, and adjust accordingly.

What does it mean to thrive in college?

Put simply, it means to grow as a person in all sorts of ways. Students who thrive are not only academically successful but also engaged in learning and other opportunities beyond the classroom. They cultivate a curiosity about the world and their place in it. They make meaningful connections that expand their sense of community and support their well-being.

Thriving in college means that students will leave college with more knowledge and skills, enriched by lasting relationships, greater self-awareness, and confidence in their ability to learn and meet any challenges that come their way.