• About the Division of General Studies
• Meeting with an Advisor
• Exploration
• Declaring or Applying to a Major
• Admissions
• Honors Program
• Academic Achievement Program
• DGSociety
• Majors and Minors Fair
• Apply Yourself Workshop
• Program for Academic Support & Success
• Parents Corner
• Fifth Story Gallery
• Policies and Procedures

Express Advising

DGS hosts express advising times at three time periods of the semester:

• The week prior to and the first week of each semester
• The last day to drop or elect the credit-no credit option for a full semester course
• One or two weeks during each advanced registration period

The focus of a express advising is efficient problem solving, so advising meetings generally last up to 15 minutes. If you'd like to arrange a longer meeting to discuss majors, minors, academics, study strategies, co-curricular involvement, or anything else, please schedule an appointment during regular advising dates.

During express advising periods, no appointment is needed. Students are seen on a first-come, first-served basis. At these times, our office is open 8:30 a.m. - 4:40 p.m. on Monday - Friday. When there is heavy student traffic in the afternoon, we may close the sign-in sheet at 4:00 p.m.

Fall 2009 Semester Express Advising Periods

• Friday, August 21 - Friday, August 28 -- Beginning of the semester
• Monday, October 19 -- last day to drop a semester course or elect the credit/no credit option
• Thursday, November 12 - Friday, November 20 -- Advanced registration period

Instant Message Advising

During the Express Advising period, we also offer instant message advising using AOL Instant Messenger . An advisor will be available for quick questions and quick answers from 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Please be advised that AIM advising is not intended to replace regularly scheduled advising appointments. Course planning appointments can only be conducted in person.

Quick question? Log on to chat with us! Our AOL user name is DGS advising.

Express Advising Strategies

• Bring your i-Card.To sign-in, all students must come accompanied by their student i-Card.
• Come prepared. Know specifically what you want to learn from the meeting. If you are coming in to do course planning, do your homework ahead of time. Know what general education courses you need and have a list of what you are thinking about taking.
• Come early. Mornings are often less busy than afternoons. When we open at 8:30 a.m., wait times are typically minimal. We may have to close the sign-up sheet as early as 4:00 p.m.
• Try to avoid coming in during lunch time. During walk-ins, half of the DGS advisors take lunch at 12:00 p.m., and the other half from 1:00 p.m.. This means that from 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. we are half-staffed. And this means longer waits.
• Choose to meet with any advisor. When you sign in, you can choose to meet with your own advisor or any available advisor. If your question is generic and you don't need to meet with your own advisor, then sign up to see anyone.
• If you are on academic probation or you need a hold removed from your record that was placed by your advisor, then you must meet with your assigned advisor.