English Department Advising

Advising is a dynamic developmental process, not simply a way of making it through WCU's various program procedures. You should think of your advisor as someone who is knowledgeable about our programs, who can direct you to campus resources, and who has experience with the world outside the university; your advisor can help you make important decisions here that will affect your future.

When you arrive at WCU, you will be assigned a departmental advisor. Your advisor will meet individually with you to help you evaluate your academic status and plan your schedules for the coming semester. Working closely with your academic advisor will help ensure that you are making progress towards your degree and that your course selections are in line with your educational and professional goals.

While your advisor will offer direction, make recommendations, and answer any questions you may have about the program, you are ultimately responsible for knowing your degree.

Ultimately, it is your responsibility to know, understand, and fulfill all degree requirements.

understanding and keeping abreast of the program requirements you must complete;
checking MyWCU to find your enrollment appointment (that is, your registration date) for scheduling your next semester's courses;
signing up to meet with your advisor in advance of your enrollment appointment, so that you will be able to register for classes when your date and time to schedule occurs;
conferring with your advisor regularly (and especially when any question arises); and
maintaining accurate records to ensure that you are meeting the mandated requirements, including the completion of 120 credits, for graduation.

Be sure to consult the advising sheet that corresponds to your specific degree and track. We recommend that you print and save a copy of the sheet and fill it in as you make you way through the major.

For the advising sheets for all English minors, please consult our minor pages.

Please consult MyWCU to identify your English Department advisor. Your advisor will be able to answer questions that are specific to your major. If you have more general questions, you can also reach out to the College of Arts and Humanities’ Student Success Coordinators at CARHU_SUCCESS@wcupa.edu

Why meet with your advisor?

To ensure timely progress towards your degree.
To become better acquainted with the program and with a faculty member.
To lift the electronic advising block so that you can schedule your classes.
To discuss which courses you should take and the order in which you should take them.
To answer your questions about specific program requirements, such as the language requirement.
To learn about the rich array of careers available to majors, graduate school, and other opportunities after graduation.
To discuss your progress and performance, including any difficulties you may be having in your academic program.
To learn about resources on campus that can help you with academic or personal problems.
To obtain information about minors or other academic and extracurricular opportunities.
To learn about completing assessment instruments for your program.
To discuss readiness for graduation.

In addition to pre-scheduling sessions, your advisor will be available to meet with you throughout the semester to discuss any number of issues including adding, dropping, or withdrawing from a course; career objectives; preparation for graduate study; and internships and employment opportunities. Even if you are early in your degree, we encourage you to become familiar with the counselors and resources available at the Twardowski Career Development Center. If you need additional career advisement or wish to discuss graduate school options, you can also consult departmental disciplinary advisors & specialists in literature, journalism, business writing, technical writing, creative writing, and other areas of English studies. Throughout the academic year, the department also offers workshops on career possibilities, preparation, and graduate school.

Advisors are typically not available on weekends, holidays, or over summer break. Please plan accordingly.

Procedure for Scheduling

Pay any University bills; you cannot schedule if you have unpaid university bills, parking tickets, health center charges, etc.
Sign up for an office meeting with your assigned advisor via the advisor's preferred method (appointment schedule on office door, online scheduling, or via email). You should arrange to meet with your advisor at least 10 days before your registration date, found on MyWCU under "When can I register for classes?" Dates are assigned based, in part, on the number of credits you have earned; you can find your advisor's name and your enrollment appointment date easily by simply logging into your MyWCU account.
You should come to your advising appointment with a list of courses, based on the offerings for that semester, that you would like to take and any questions you may have about offerings, your progress in the program, or career directions.
Your advisor will not lift your advising flag to allow you to schedule without a meeting to discuss your plans. Please do not phone or e-mail requesting that your advising flag be lifted if you have not completed the required in-person advising session.
Your assigned advisor must clear you electronically before you can schedule on MyWCU.
To avoid having your schedule purged by the Registrar, pay your bill promptly. If you have lost your seat in a class due to purging, the department will not be able to add you back into classes that filled when you were removed from the class roster.

Looking for more information about advising at WCU? Please visit the university's Academic Advising page.