Student Advising Quick Reference Sheet

Purpose of this document:
There will be many times as an undergraduate in the Computer Science department that you find yourself needing advice or information of some sort. This could range from mundane questions like "hold do remove this registration hold", to more meaty questions like "which set of courses should I take next term to avoid being overloaded", to really big questions like "what sort of career specialty in computer science should I pursue". In most cases, the first place to start with in answering these questions is your assigned faculty advisor. Of course, there are many logistic and administrative questions that don't have anything directly to do with the computer science program that your advisor may not know the answer to....but he/she should be able to quickly point you in the right direction.

Of course, you can save time in your information gathering by already knowing who to seek out for help with various questions. Here is a short list of the advising resources you have access to, and what kinds of things that each one can help with.

YOUR FACULTY ADVISOR!
Your assigned faculty advisor is your primary "go to" point in addressing any questions you might have. If your question regards a topic that is outside of your advisors direct expertise, he or she will direct you to the appropriate place. Obviously, you can skip this step if your already know exactly where to go to get answers --- but your advisor is there to help no matter what.

Issues and Question your faculty Advisor can help with:

Getting advice on choosing courses to register for next term? The basics of choosing next semester's courses are simple: view the program of study sheet for the year you entered the program (started at NAU), then see what courses are next in line to take. But of course, reality is always more complicated; there may be a broad choice of courses that you could take in a given term. Faculty advisors are not only familiar with the CS curriculum and what each course covers, but often have keen insights on which courses tend to be harder or take more time, and which tend to be somewhat easier. Talking to a faculty advisor, therefore, can help you choose a mix of courses that are appropriate for you personally, i.e., that will maximize your chances of academic success next term.
Getting some Computer Science career advice? Computer science is a broad and rapidly evolving field. Your advisor is someone you can talk to to find out more about the kinds of actual jobs out there, and what CS electives you might want to take to better prepare myself for certain specialties. Or just to find out more about what real computer scientists do! Computer science faculty often are or have been involved in the corporate world at some point, and have a good idea of what skills different specialties will require. Just come by during office hours and start asking questions!

Question: How do I find out who my assigned faculty advisor is?

Answer: If you have completed 30 or less semester hours (i.e., are a freshman), then your assigned advisor is a member of the Gateway Advising Center Staff. When you have completed more than 30 semester hours, you are automatically assigned a Computer Science faculty member as an advisor. Either way, you can find out exactly who your currently assigned advisor is by logging into Louie. On the right hand side of your home page, you should see a box labeled "Program Advisor" that lists the name of your currently assigned advisor.

Question: What if my faculty advisor can't answer my questions to satisfaction?

Answer: There are, of course, limits to what every faculty member knows. If your advisor doesn't know something, he or she should be willing and able to find the answer for you, or direct you to a specific person who will be able to help. If for any reason you have not been able to get the help you need from your faculty advisor, you should definitely visit the department chair during office hours for help.

CEFNS Student Support Services
The main mission of College of Engineering, Forestry and Natural Sciences (CEFNS ) Student Support Services is to help CEFNS students succede, while reducing the administrative frustrations they might face. If you have any sort of question about general (non-CS-specific) programs or services available in the college or at NAU, start here! The easiest way to get in contact is to just call or visit the CEFNS Student Services Coordinator in the Front Office, currently Christine Drake, 523-5172.

Issues and Questions that CEFNS Student Services can help with include:

Help with administrative problems:

Dealing with registration holds
Help with getting transfer courses properly posted to your transcript
Using the LOUIE Degree Progress Report, and problems with inaccuracies in it
Processing of graduation paperwork
Any other administrative issues...

Access to Student Services:

Where to get tutoring and other academic help
Help with access to NAU Disability Support Services
Help with access to NAU Counseling and Testing Services
Any other NAU services...

Finding Scholarships, Internships...and a job for when you graduate!
As you might imagine, most companies or organizations interested in hiring Computer Science graduates or interns have some sort of online presence, including some sort of "job/internship portal" there describe their selection procedures for job opening and internships, and allow applicants to submit application material online. This "direct access" approach has become an almost universal standard in recent years, laregly displacing the old-fashioned approach in which companies notified a job/internship coordinator on various college campuses of available openings.

With that said, there are still several very good on-campus resources for finding both internships and, for graduates, full-time jobs.

CEFNS Scholarship and Internship Services
The College of Engineering, Forestry and Natural Sciences (CEFNS ) employs a full-time scholarship and internship coordinator who does nothing but search for, organize, and advertise scholarship and internship opportunities to CEFNS students. This is a great place to start; if you don't find an internship posted with this office that's right for you, at least you can get some tips about how to go about finding one! The current CEFNS Internship Coordinator is Graylynn Hudson, 523-5191, or visit their website at /students/CareerServices.shtml

CEFNS Career Fair
The CEFNS Career Fair is an excellent place for all CS students to find out more about employers and the job market. This bi-annual event happens once during the Fall term and once in the Spring term, and is hosted by the Ambassadors for the College of Engineering, Forestry and Natural Sciences (ACEFNS ), a service-oriented student group in the college. Find out more (including exact dates) about the Career Fairs at the ACEFNS website: /Orgs/ACEFNS / There is something useful at the Career Fair for all CS students --- check it out:

Any CS Student: find out more about what companies are hiring CS graduates and see what sorts of work they are doing. Find out what real CS graduates are doing in the corporate work environment. Pick up free goodies passed out by company reps!
Upper division CS Students: This is a great way to make personal contacts with company reps (many of which are NAU grads!) and find out more about summer internship opportunities. You may even be able to submit you application right there at the booth; gives you a leg up on the generic applications that pour in via the company's website!
Seniors about to graduate: The Career Fair can get you hired in a day! Whether you've turned in your application electronically beforehand, or whether you hand it to a company representative at the Career Fair, many companies work to schedule interviews with potential new hires during or immediately after the Career Fair, right here on the NAU campus.

Gateway Advising Center
The Gateway Advising Center has a "Gateway Connects" program that is there to help graduates with finding a job. Again, many CS opportunities may not be posted here; check your desired company's website as well. But it's definitely worth checking with Gateway to see what they have posted. Also, Gateway advisors can help with resume writing, interviewing skills, and other preparations for finding a job. Visit the Gateway Center in person, or check out their website at: http://www4.nau.edu/gateway/. Note that you can click the link in the top-right menu to access the Gateway Connects job center.

The CS Department Website...and your email
We have a special link to AfterCollege.com, a new service that is trying to break into the job brokering sector, on our CS Department Website (/Academic/CS/resources/). The idea is that you enter your profile on their site, employers enter (for a fee) the job openings they have...and the site connects the two. It remains to be seen just how effective this is, but it's free for students...why not give it a try? In general, it could be a great way to locate job opportunities with somewhat more distant employers.

Sometimes employers also send special job announcements directly our department. The department chair will often forward these announcements to the CS students mail alias...which means that you might occasionally find them in your inbox!