Academic Advising in the First Year of College: A Guide for Families

As the focus on college completion and gainful employment intensifies, the stakes for students entering higher education and the institutions that serve them have never been higher. Yet, new students and their families may not understand the value of an educational plan for helping them stay on track and achieve their goals. They may have even less knowledge about how to create one.

A new guide from the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition and NACADA, the Global Community for Academic Advising, focuses on the role of academic advisors in helping students chart a course for success and suggests how parents and family members can be partners in the journey. Academic Advising in the First Year of College: A Guide for Families includes a glossary of key terms and list of frequently asked questions that help demystify the college experience and highlight the many purposes of the academic advising relationship.

Academic Advising in the First Year of College is a particularly useful resource for families of first-generation college students and ideal for distribution at recruitment events, orientation, or parent and family programs.

Companion Materials

Academic Advising in the First Year of College: A Guide for Families
Virginia N. Gordon, Julie Levinson, and Tim Kirkner
A joint publication with NACADA, The Global Community for Academic Advising
(2014). 30 pages. ISBN 978-1-889-27194-1
$3.00 each. $2.00 each when purchased in 100-unit lots.