It’s registration season and that means it’s time to meet with your advisor! You are pursuing a degree at Missouri State University and that means you have access to a wonderful resource: an academic advisor. Your academic advisor is available to help you navigate your major and degree requirements, connect with campus resources, and more. On your Registration Status page, there’s a line for an “Advisor Release,” sometimes it says, “Not Required,” other times there’s a red X and you’re blocked from registering for classes. This is called a hold. 

When/Why Do I Have an Advisor Release Hold? 

Some groups of students are required to meet with an advisor. 

• • All undergraduate students with less than 75 completed credits.
  • All undergraduate students with less than three fall or spring advisor releases.
  • First-time transfer students
  • Students on academic probation
  • All graduate students

However, it’s a good idea to meet with your advisor regularly to check in on your academic progress, help you navigate the course catalog, and help you meet your goals – even if it’s not “required.”

How Do I Find My Advisor? 

Before you can meet with your advisor, you first need to figure out who they are and how to contact them. Advisor information can be found in a couple places on your My Missouri State account. 

1. Advising Notes and Release
   • My Student Records cared > Advising Notes
   • This is where you will see notes from all your advising appointments
2. Registration Status 
   • Registration card > Registration Status link
   • This is where you’ll find any holds preventing registration

No advisor listed? No problem.
If you have a declared major, consult with the advisement center of the college of your major.* Reach out to the department of your major for assistance if your college is not indicated below.

Darr College of Agriculture Student Success and Advisement Center	College of BusinessAdvisement Center	College of Education Advisement Center
College of Natural and Applied Sciences Student Success Office	McQueary College of Health and Human Services Student Success and Advisement Center	College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities Student Success and Advisement Center

*Incoming transfer students should locate their program’s transfer advisor. 

For adult students without a declared major, contact AdultStudentServices@MissouriState.edu to meet with an advisor.

After you locate your advisor, schedule with them using their booking link (if available) or send them an email to discuss meeting options. 

How Do I Actually Make the Most of My Appointment?

This is the hard part. You need to be prepared and engaged to recieve the greatest benefit of the meeting. First, review your degree audit/student planner, then write down any questions that come up while you review your materials . Don’t forget to mention any specific goals you have to explore ways to acheive them. We’ve provided a few examples below. Borrow these or make your own! This is your degree and journey. 

Questions to Ask What are the requirements of my degree? Are there any electives I should consider to boost my resume?  Is it worthwhile to add a certificate?

Goals to Conisder First, make sure you’re making S.M.A.R.T. Goals.  I want to raise my GPA by .5 this semester. What resources can I utilize to achieve this?  I want to finish my degree in 4 years – how many credit hours do I need to take each semester to meet this timeline?  I want to add in service learning to my curriculum. How can my program support this goal?

Degree Audit and Student Planner Degree audits are used by students and advisors for planning what courses to complete in order to earn a declared degree program and to view final graduation eligibility. The student education planner is used by students and advisor for planning course sequencing by semester (what order to take courses in). Sign into your My Missouri State. Locate the Degree Audit and SEP Card. View Degree Audit.

Finally, be sure to bring something to take down these notes: pen and paper, a laptop, even the notes app on your phone can be a good tool. Even though you can look back on your Advising Notes through your student portal, it is helpful to have notes of your own to refer to. 

Additional Resources

Preparing for Advising Appointments (CAST Blog, October 2024)

Frequently Asked Questions about Advising Issues 

Each one of us has goals. To get an “A” in a course, to buy a new car, to retire by 65, etc. There’s not really any right or wrong goals, but you can go about acheiving them in a smart way… or should we say S.M.A.R.T way?

What is a S.M.A.R.T. goal?

A S.M.A.R.T goal is specific, measureable, attainable, realistic, and timebased.

• Specific – What is your specific goal? Be as precise as possible. Answer who, what, when, where, and why. 
• Measurable – How do you measure success? How will you know when you have reached your goal? Your measurement needs to be precise and answer the question of “how many” or “how often.” 
• Attainable – Make sure your goal is attainable and realistic. If it isn’t, it will always remain a dream. While setting high standards is important, if the standards are unrealistic, then they probably will not be achieved. 
• Realistic – Does your goal align with your other goals and your values? If it conflicts with your vision of yourself or your short- or long-term plans, then you should reassess the goal. 
• Time-based – Set a deadline for achieving your goal. If your goal includes steps or milestones, make a timeframe for them as well. Again, be precise. If your deadline is a vague “sometime in the future,” then your goal may always remain a dream. 

Goals in Action

Let’s take a look at an example. Riley has never attended college, he did not take high school dual credit classes, and he graduated from high school over 10 years ago. He has been working for a popular retailer as a sales associate. He wants to move into a management role, but he needs a college degree to do so.

Riley’s goal? Get a degree as quickly as possible.

Is this a good goal? Sure. Is it a S.M.A.R.T. goal? Not really.

 

Why wasn’t Riley’s goal S.M.A.R.T? He didn’t specify what degree he wanted to pursue, didn’t set a timeframe, and didn’t consider his lifestyle needs.

Make it S.M.A.R.T

Riley was on the right track but here’s how he can improve:

• Make the goal specific: Riley wants to finish a degree at Missouri State that compliments his career goals in 4 years so he can apply for management positions in the future.
• Make it measurable: He needs to complete 15 credit hours a semester for 8 consecutive semesters (excluding summer) to graduate in 4 years.
• Consider attainability: 4 years is the “typical” time to complete a bachelor’s degree. There are many support services at Missouri State to s
• Is it realistic?: Riley will need to keep working full-time to support himself (limited availability for seated classes), and he still wants to have free time to travel. It is possible to work and go to school full time, but this isn’t conducive to Riley’s desires. By extending his timeline or reducing his fall/spring course load to take 1-2 summer classes can help create that “free time” to relax, spend time with loved ones and enjoy himself. He can also consider pursuing his degree online so he can work towards his degree on his own time from just about anywhere!
• Time-Based: By the end of each academic year, Riley will need to have completed 30 credit hours (15 hours in the fall, 15 hours in the spring or 6 hours in the fall and spring and 3 hours in the summer) to maintain his 4-year completion goal.

Even with this S.M.A.R.T.-er goal, it could be improved by taking costs into consideration and setting goals for his GPA. This plan also doesn’t account for any fluctuations such as changing majors or needing to retake a class. If your circumstances change, it’s okay (and smart!) to reevaluate your plan and make tweaks to keep yourself on track. Riley could choose to extend his timeline to take fewer classes each term, or he could decide to sacrifice travel opportunities to take additional credit hours.

Takeaways

We’re here to help you set S.M.A.R.T. goals and achieve them, even as life circumstances change. We are here to help you succeed and take all the factors into consideration.

Through advisement, financial aid, and dozens of student support services – Missouri State is here to help you every step of the way.

Meet with an Adult Student advisor to see how you can get started.