Advising Success Network
FOUR PILLARS
Know Your Students
Use extended demographic data and student voice to understand who you serve — not just enrollment numbers, but lived experiences, goals, and obstacles.
Map the Ideal Journey
Define what a successful advising experience looks like at every touchpoint, from first inquiry to graduation or transfer. Make the ideal explicit, then close the gap.
Identify Barriers
Proactively surface the structural, systemic, and personal obstacles students face. Barrier identification is ongoing — not a one-time audit.
Team Approach
Advising does not happen in isolation. Financial aid, faculty, student services, and advisors must collaborate around a shared picture of each student.
Know Your Students
STUDENT PERSONAS
Personas represent the distinct populations advisors serve. Each brings different needs, barriers, and success markers. Advisors who understand these differences deliver more relevant, effective guidance.
First-Generation Student
Navigating a system their family has not experienced. Needs plain language, strong relationship, and family-inclusive communication.
Needs
- Clear, jargon-free guidance
- FAFSA navigation support
- Campus belonging and community
- Family-facing communication
Common Barriers
- Unfamiliarity with college systems
- Financial aid complexity
- Imposter syndrome
- Limited social capital
Returning / Stop-Out Student
Returning after a gap — often due to financial, family, or health reasons. May have holds, stale credits, or anxiety about re-entry.
Needs
- Non-judgmental re-entry guidance
- Hold resolution support
- Recognition of life experience
- Flexible scheduling options
Common Barriers
- Unresolved holds
- Stale or invalid credits
- Technology access gaps
- Self-doubt about returning
Transfer Student
Bringing credits from another institution. Needs accurate evaluation, STARS/AGSC alignment, and a clear completion path.
Needs
- Transcript evaluation and credit mapping
- STARS articulation guidance
- Efficient completion plan
- Transfer destination clarity
Common Barriers
- Credit equivalency uncertainty
- Dual-institution financial aid
- Unclear articulation rules
- Repeated coursework risk
Working Adult Student
Balancing work, family, and school. Time is their scarcest resource. Values efficiency, evening/online access, and direct communication.
Needs
- Evening and weekend advising access
- Asynchronous communication options
- Flexible course scheduling
- Efficient degree completion
Common Barriers
- Limited appointment availability
- Campus inaccessibility outside 9–5
- Work schedule conflicts
- Childcare and transportation
Health Sciences Student
Pursuing competitive programs with clinical requirements, waitlists, and licensure pathways. High stakes, high specificity.
Needs
- Waitlist and admissions navigation
- Clinical hour planning
- Licensure and certification guidance
- Bridge pathway options
Common Barriers
- Program waitlists and capacity limits
- Complex clinical scheduling
- Prerequisite sequencing errors
- Transfer credit rejection
TRiO-Eligible Student
First-gen, low-income, and/or students with disabilities. Eligible for federally funded TRiO support services alongside advising.
Needs
- TRiO program connection
- Disability accommodation support
- Scholarship and grant guidance
- Holistic wraparound support
Common Barriers
- Unawareness of TRiO eligibility
- Disability accommodation gaps
- Financial pressure causing withdrawal
- Isolation from support networks
Barrier Identification
WHAT STOPS STUDENTS
Barriers are not student failures — they are systemic and structural friction points. Identifying them explicitly is the first step to removing them.
Financial Barriers
- FAFSA incomplete or missing documents
- Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) holds
- Outstanding tuition balance
- Unaware of payment plan options
- Scholarship deadline gaps
Administrative Barriers
- Registration holds (financial, academic, admin)
- Outdated or missing contact information
- Incorrect or missing program of study on file
- Prior balance preventing transcript release
- Name/ID mismatch in systems
Academic Barriers
- Unclear degree map or audit discrepancies
- Prerequisite confusion causing course conflicts
- Unrecognized transfer credits
- Academic probation without a recovery plan
- Low credit-hour progress toward completion
Technology Barriers
- Banner login issues blocking registration
- Canvas or email access not set up
- Degree Works not reflecting correct program
- Unfamiliarity with MyLawson portal
- No device or internet access at home
Life Circumstances Barriers
- Work schedule conflicts with advising hours
- Transportation and commute barriers
- Childcare and family obligations
- Mental health and wellness challenges
- Food or housing insecurity
Student Needs Assessment
A structured needs assessment — informed by extended demographic data and direct student voice — helps advisors prioritize outreach, target interventions, and allocate team capacity where barriers are most concentrated.
Team Collaboration
TOOLS & RESOURCES
Effective advising is tool-assisted and team-coordinated. These platforms connect the advisor ecosystem across registration, financial aid, outreach, and student services.
Degree Works
Academic audit and degree planning. Shows remaining requirements, transfer credit application, and projected completion.
Banner
Course registration, student records, and hold management. The primary SIS for enrollment and grades.
Mongoose / CRM
Proactive outreach via text, email, and call. Used for registration reminders, hold notifications, and stop-out recovery.
Microsoft Teams
Advisor team collaboration, shared caseload notes, and cross-department communication for complex student cases.
Canvas
Course delivery platform and syllabus access. Advising cross-references Canvas for academic activity verification.
MyLawson Portal
Student self-service hub. Aid status, course schedule, account balance, and advisor contact — all in one place.
For Students
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