A day of fun, getting things done
The Art, Communication, and Theatre Department of Texas A&M University – Kingsville kicked off their Advising Days with a bang as multiple students came to get their schedules sorted for the next semester, to the point where there had to be a cut off on the first day.
Students came to the Bailey Art Building and looked through a catalog of options for their next classes in both Spring and Summer. When all was said and done, the students had a chance to kick back and relax, with food, refreshments and even a pinata waiting for them outside.
While Advising Days has been going on for years, this was the first year for TAMUK Academic Advisor Lizzetty Lara. Nevertheless, she was able to get as many students as she could on the first day and also received the K numbers of those who she wasn’t able to get to on the first day.
For Lara, Advising Days is seen as important for the ACT students and is meant to help them with their next semester.
“It’s very important for students to get advised…they should be meeting with their advisors just to verify that they’re on the right track and that they’re taking the required courses,” Lara said. “So yes, these students are getting it done, they’re figuring out what classes they need left to graduate.”
Senior Administrator Coordinator I Patsy Rios also sees how the day can be helpful for ACT Department students.
“They [the students] know ahead of time what they’re going to need to register for and so if they get priority registration, they can go and register for those classes,” Rios said. “It kind of helps guide them to go directly to what classes they need…and if we need to give them enough time to let us know if it’s already at capacity and if the faculty is willing to add another couple of students, then we can add students.”
While Advising Days is important for students to plan for their upcoming classes and is treated as such, some students also see it as a day that rewards them for getting what they need done. Art major Samantha Jimenez was both able to get what she needed done as well as talk to other students in her department afterwards.
“You could go to the advisor and go register for your class or like almost sign up, and you could also sit in the back and relax, eat hot dogs, talk, pretty much just chill out,” Jimenez said. “I think Advising Days was pretty much a day to get ready for the next semester…but Advising Days should be like a day to kind of relax.”
Lara also talked about students relaxing.
“It is a time to relax, once they meet with their advisors because then they can get the ‘Okay. You’re good, you’re taking your classes,’” Lara said. “As an advisor, it’s also relaxing to know that I’ve met with so many students that they should be good and ready to go.”
Whether student or staff, all could agree that the turnout for both Advising Days proved to be a large success.
“There was actually a lot of classes,” Jimenez said. “I think there was like, two or three classes there. Throughout the day, there were more kids coming in eventually by twelve-ish.”
Jimenez continued to explain how after students finished speaking to their advisor, the crowd outside the Art Building began to grow.
“There was a lot of kids, a lot of them were just talking, playing little games we had there, messing around but mostly just talking to each other. It was nice,” Jimenez said.
Rios said Advising Days for the ACT Department will be happening again in Spring.
