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5 Reasons to Use Academic Advising Services

Written by Alexander College in About AC on August 2, 2024

Did you know Alexander College offers Academic Advising services so students can confidently navigate their academic journey? Here are five reasons why you should use Academic Advising services:

Personalized Study Plans

Want to explore your academic interests but you’re unsure how that will affect your timeline for graduation? Talk to an Academic Advisor and they can help you make a personalized study plan that will fulfill your graduation requirements while ensuring you can choose some courses in subjects that interest you.

Who knows? Maybe you’ll discover a passion you didn’t know you had! If you do, an Academic Advisor will be more than happy help you make a plan to transition into a new program concentration.

two students looking at a book outside

Academic Goal Setting

‘What’s next?’ is a common question for many students ask themselves at one point or another on their academic journey.

Academic Advisors can help you explore what is available to you with your current academic standing and help you set goals if you are close to fulfilling requirements for a university you may be interested in.

GPA Calculations (Term GPA vs CGPA)

As a post-secondary student, the term GPA may come up a lot when it comes to figuring out your next steps, especially if you want to transfer to a university. Here are some terms you may have heard:

  • (Term) GPA: Also known as Grade Point Average, this is the total GPA for a single semester and this determines each student’s academic standing every semester.
  • CGPA: Unlike GPA, Cumulative Grade Point Average looks at your average across all the courses taken at Alexander College.
  • Program GPA: Used to calculate a student’s eligibility for graduation, your Program GPA is your GPA calculated from the program required courses that you have taken. This does not include any courses that you have failed.
graduating AC student

If you need help figuring out all these numbers, Academic Advisors can teach you how to calculate your GPA, CGPA, and Program GPA!

University Transfer Help

graduating AC student

One major advantage of an associate degree is being able to easily transfer to universities in BC or Canada through our University Transfer Program.

Academic Advisors can help you discover which universities have programs that align with your interests and help you work towards transferring to that university!

Our Academic Advisors are Happy to Help!

Most importantly, Academic Advisors are also people who have gone through post-secondary. They understand the challenges of figuring out which courses to take or feeling unsure about what the future holds.

Academic Advisors are more than willing to answer any questions you may have and help you succeed at Alexander College.

For Sunny Dhanjal, one of our Academic Advisors, comfort is the main thing and one way to become comfortable with using Academic Advising services is to get to know the Academic Advisors, either by visiting Academic Advising or reading about their stories on our school blog.

Even if you’re not sure what to ask, Academic Advisor Amanpreet Kaur invites students to just come in and introduce themselves!

Amanpreet helping a student

Academic Advising appointments are available both in-person or online through Zoom. You can book an appointment through WC Online. For quick questions, you can always find an Academic Advisor at the front desk area, desk E2, at Alexander College’s Burnaby campus.

Academic Advising

Alexander College acknowledges that the land on which we usually gather is the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We are grateful to have the opportunity to work in this territory.

Alexander College acknowledges that the land on which we usually gather is the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Coast Salish peoples, including the territories of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations. We are grateful to have the opportunity to work in this territory.