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Counseling
and Career Center
Counseling and Advising
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| Counselor Role |
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The counselors in the Counseling and Career Center are trained to assist students with:
Academic Orientation
Academic Advising
Personal Counseling
Transfer Planning
Occupational Exploration/
Career DevelopmentCrisis management
Goal Setting
What your Counselor can do for you:
Give you sound academic advice. Your counselor can be a valuable resource as someone familiar with GRCC who is willing and able to assist you with your academic planning and decision-making.
Serve as a sounding board. Consult with your counselor as you ponder your next academic move, as you consider your options, or if you are worried about the implications of your decisions. Your counselor has guided others through the academic planning process at GRCC and can help you make informed choices and keep on track.
Help you choose suitable courses. Your counselor can assist you with course selection by asking you your rationale for choosing courses, perhaps by challenging your assumptions, by ensuring that your course load is reasonable, and by making various suggestions or recommendations for you to consider.
Help you complete a long-range plan and select a major. Most students who enter college are not sure of what they want to major in. While this is natural enough, the uncertainty of it is troubling for a lot of students. However, if you approach your long-range plan conscientiously, it need not be a source of great worry to you; indeed, it can be an exciting adventure.
What your counselor cannot do for you:
Serve all your advising needs. No counselor, no matter how well trained or experienced, can be expected to know all the academic regulations, all the departments and programs, and all the faculty and course offerings at transfer institutions. However, your counselor can answer many of your questions and would be able to refer you to others when s/he can't help you directly.
Tell you what to do. As an adult, you should assume primary responsibility for your decisions and for your academic progress. You misconceive your counselor's role and shortchange yourself if you expect your counselor to tell you what to do. Don't let others decide your future! Set your own goals and devise your own strategies for attaining them. Your counselor can help you meet your goals by serving as a "reality check" and by helping you to avoid obvious pitfalls along the way.
Tell you what courses to take. Counselors do not tell you what courses to take, who's a "good" instructor, or what courses are easy or hard, and you shouldn't expect them to.
Be the only source of advice as you choose a major. No matter how well informed your counselor is, s/he is only one of many resources available to you as you prepare to elect a major. Other resources can come to your assistance in important ways:
1) Arrange to participate in Career Development activities to identify important aspects of yourself and of the majors and careers you are considering to make a well-informed major and career choice;
2) Make appointments with any instructor(s) in the field(s) you are considering and talk about what attracts you to the field, what your particular area of concentration might be, who on the faculty of the department shares your interests, what internship or other opportunities are available to you through the department, what career paths majors in that field have gone on to after they graduated, etc;
3) Learn more about the State of Michigan Career Pathways. The Career Pathways is a broad group of careers that share similar characteristics and whose employment requirements call for many common interests, strengths, and competencies.
| Preparing to Meet with Your Counselor |
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You are expected
to:
- bring transcripts (official or unofficial) from any other college or university you attended (if transcripts have not been evaluated)
- write down your specific questions ahead of time
- be prepared to discuss your academic performance and courses taken
- plan to arrive on time as academic advising appointments are only
30 minutes
Questions to ask during your advising appointment:
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Location: 327 Student Community Center ~ ph: (616) 234-3900 ~ fax: (616) 234-3546
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Updated on 13-FEB-08
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