Scheduling and Preparing for an Advising Appointment
Schedule an advising appointment with me at least 24 hours before you intend to meet. You must schedule and appointment at https://calendly.com/obrochta/advising
Prepare to complete the advising form.
Degree Plan: Download the appropriate degree plan, fill it out, and be prepared to upload it to the advising form. Click here to find your degree plan.
Tentative Schedule: The form will ask you to list the courses you plan to take for next semester as well as at least one alternate course. To find courses go to https://www.tlu.edu/academics/registrar and then select “Course Schedule” for the semester you wish to register for. You can also view the course schedule on myTLU. You must confirm that you have met the pre-requisites for all courses you intend to register for. Review pre-requisites on the course schedule on myTLU or by looking at the course catalog on the registrar’s website.
Advising Needs: The form will ask you to complete a few questions about your progress and your plans so that I can best assist you.
Arrive at your advising appointment on time and be ready to discuss! I will not meet with you unless all of the above steps have been completed.
Reference/Recommendation Letters
If you are interested in having me write you a recommendation or reference letter, you must contact me via e-mail to set-up an in-person meeting at least a month prior to when the letter is due.
I only write recommendation letters for students who I know well, who have done well in my classes, and who have strong reasons for applying for the position/school of interest. Sending me a request for a letter is not a guarantee that I will be able to write it.
If you are thinking about asking me for a letter in the future, spend this time doing your best work and coming to office hours to talk. The more I know you, the more able I am to write a good letter.
If I agree to write you a letter, please provide me with the following information at least a month before the letter is due: a link to the place to submit the letter, the due date for the letter, your resume, your transcript, any other materials you are submitting (e.g., personal statement, test scores), a brief description of the kinds of things you would like me to highlight in the letter, and a list of places the letter is going (i.e., a list of graduate schools or the employer portals I am uploading this letter to).
I only write letters where you have waived your right to view the letter. As such, I do not write generic recommendation letters.
Meet with me in person to discuss the letter.
Follow-up with me with any updated materials and deadline reminders.
Keep me updated on admissions, interviews, and jobs!
Common Questions
Registering for Classes
You must meet with me for advising before you can register for classes.
Registration week is listed on the academic calendar on the registrar’s website. Students register based on the number of earned credits. Your registration day and time is listed here (you must log-in to myTLU first before clicking this link) https://my.tlu.edu/ICS/Student/Registration_and_Advising.jnz. I do not know when you are scheduled to register, and I do not have access to look up this information.
Registration is on myTLU. Should you have questions about registering, you should visit the “academic planning” section on myTLU (you must log-in to myTLU first before clicking this link) https://my.tlu.edu/ICS/Student_Life/Advising_Support.jnz.
You will not be able to register if you have holds or require waiving pre-requistes. You must take care of these situations. I am not able to see these issues from the information that I have.
Adding or Dropping a Course
Are you adding/dropping before the end of the add/drop period? Find the end of the add/drop period on the academic calendar https://www.tlu.edu/academics/registrar.
If so, go to myTLU and navigate to your course schedule. Add or drop the course from there.
Are you adding/dropping after the end of the add/drop period?
You must obtain approval from the course instructor, your advisor, and the registrar’s office to add or drop a course outside of the add/drop period. You should complete this form, schedule an appointment with your advisor and the course instructor, and go to their offices to obtain the appropriate signatures. You are responsible for knowing the implications of adding or dropping on your financial aid.
Use this form to change your major or advisor. This includes concentration changes within political science (like political science (pre-law) to political science (liberal arts)) and adding a minor. You must log-in to myTLU first before clicking this link: https://my.tlu.edu/ICS/Student_Life/Advising_Support.jnz.
If you change majors, adivsors, or minors, you should meet with your new advisor as soon as possible as we may not otherwise know that you are now our advisee.
Other Common Tasks
Forms for internship courses, independent study courses, and course substitutions, among other things, can be found on the registrar’s website: https://my.tlu.edu/ICS/Public/Registrar.jnz.
If you are interested in my supervising an internship or independent study, you must meet with me prior to coming to me with a form to sign. Internships are easily arranged, and we have clear departmental expectations for what you will do during an internship. Independent study courses are only available in rare circumstances.