How many people does it take to answer a single advising question?

Key takeaways 

• According to a recent survey, it takes up to four student queries to get an answer to a single advising-related question 
• Student expectations are continuing to rise in the buyer’s market of higher education 
• To increase efficiency and improve student service, colleges should seek to reduce the number of times students need to ask the same questions to get the correct answer 

Alec, sophomore
Five or six different meetings, but it was over the course of a month. In the spring, I was trying to figure out what classes I want to take. So first I went to my advisor, talked to him about it. He sent me to one of my current teachers who he knew in geology, talked to her. Then she sent me back to him.  

Thought I knew what I wanted to do, but then he was like, you know, maybe you should go talk to the teacher in that actual department, make sure you know what you're doing. I did that and then I come back to him and talk to him again about it. We make our final decision. And then I just have to go to the registrar and put in my slip to finalise that decision.  

Julia, freshman 
I only had to go through one person to get my question answered. To register for my Spanish class, which was an advanced Spanish class, I needed to have my AP credit applied. But I couldn't apply it without emailing my dean first. And all freshmen have to email their dean in order to apply AP credit. And so, I thought it was sort of disorganised that your AP credit doesn't transfer over from the admissions office to the academic office even though they're in the same school.  

Chris, senior 
I guess about four or five. You set up an appointment. Then once you set up the appointment, it gets canceled. They have to go talk to front desk again. Then once I do meet with the advisor, they find out that they can't handle the requests I'm asking, or they don't know the answer. My situation—there were a couple courses that I felt that should transfer.  

And I looked on—they have a catalogue of what courses transfer, what courses don't. And one of them was on there, but they weren't transferring it. And they weren't telling me why. So, once I got in front of the advisor, I had to ask them. Like, I pulled up the page and told him, “Hey, it's on here. Why am I not getting the credit?” Then they had to—they moved me up to her supervisor who eventually did give me the credit. But I don't understand why it was so complicated.