All students need to see their advisors prior to registration.
ONLY YOU CAN TAKE CHARGE OF YOUR LIFE.
You are responsible for seeking out the advisement you need. Don't be passive about your career or your undergraduate experience. Too many people just 'go to work' for years and then retire, grow old, and die. You deserve better. Every workday (or at least the majority of the time) you should take joy in your profession. If you can't imagine waking up Mondays with a grin thinking, "I get to go to work today!" you're cheating yourself. Don't settle for less than that! If you can't imagine that for yourself with an English major, then go over to Career Services and get some testing and counseling. They can help you think through just what might be the best career and preparation for you given your interests and abilities.
Your advisor is your professional coach while you're here at Millersville. To start with, you are assigned an advisor by the Chair of English Department once you declared a major. Take time to get to know your advisor. This person should become your best advocate and mentor. What if it's not a good match? You are free to change to a person who you feel will be better match so long as both parties agree. If you aren't taking advantage of that relationship, and too many students do not, you aren't getting as much out of the university experience as you might. Advisors can tell you what courses are coming up, discuss the qualities of various professors and courses (one size does not fit all), and otherwise help you get the most out of your time here.
Address:
Dr. Bonnie Duncan
English Department
Millersville University
Millersville PA 17551Offices: 164 and 166 Hash (across the street from the library). If I'm not in one office, check the other.
Office hours, Sp. 2006:
- 10:00-11:00 and 1:00-2:30 T/Th
- 5:00 - 6:00 W/Th
- And by appointment
Phone: 717 871-2080
Email: bduncan@millersville.edu
WHAT DO YOU BRING TO THE TABLE?
- You are smart and energetic: The fact that you're here is already proof that you're good. Millersville is a competitive university.
- You have particular talants and skill sets: Why did you choose this degree? Usually, it's because you have done well in courses in this area over the years. That usually means that you possess certain skills in common with other English majors/minors. In general, you are good at the following:
| Clarifying ideas | Problem solving | Summarizing ideas | Thinking independently |
| Developing hypotheses | Comparing interpretations |
Presenting alternative view points | Understanding disparate populations and cultures |
| Creative and analytical writing | Editing skills | Oral and written communication skills | Influencing and persuading, particuarly in writing |
3. You will graduate. Now, it's time to think through what you can do with the degree. Don't know what to do with your major? Only you can plan your career, but your advisor and Career Services can help. Check out these sites:
| Account Executive | ESL Teacher/Specialist | Novelist |
| Actor/Actress | Fashion Merchandiser | Personnel Manager |
| Administrative Assistant | FBI | PhD Candidate/Instructor |
| Administrator | Foreign Correspondent | Playwright |
| Advertising Copywriter | Freelance Writer/Consultant | Poet |
| Analyst | Fundraiser | Police Officer |
| Analyst | Government Relations | Politician |
| Attorney | Graduate Student | Political Writer |
| Audiologist | Global Banking Associate | President |
| Author - Fiction Non-Fiction | Hearing/Speech Pathology | Principal/Vice Principal |
| Bank Officer | Hearing Officer | Probation and Parole Officer |
| Biographer | Hotel & Motel Manager | Product Manager |
| Book Critic | Human Resource Specialist | Program Manager |
| Business Administration | Human Service Practitioner | Proofreader |
| Business Manager | Humorist/Comedian | Property Manager |
| Circulation and Advertisement | Information Abstractor | Public Administrator |
| City Manager | Insurance Agent | Public Relations Specialist |
| College Professor | Interior Designer | Public Speaker |
| Columnist/Commentator | Interpreter & Translator | Publicity Assistant |
| Comedy Writer | Investment Banker | Publisher |
| Communications Manager | Investment Counselor/Manager | Publishing Assistant |
| Congressional Aide | Journalist | Sales Representative |
| Copywriter | Labor Relations Specialist | Sales/Service Manager |
| Corrective Therapist | Lawyer | Script Reader |
| Creative Writer | Librarian | Special Events Coordinator |
| Critic, Art/Book | Linguist | Speech Writer |
| Crossword Puzzle | Literary Agent | Sports Writer |
| Curator | Loan Officer | Stockbroker |
| Customer Service | Lobbyist | Social Welfare Examiner |
| Desktop Publisher | Magazine Writer | Social Worker |
| Documentation Specialist | Management | Talent Agent |
| Editor, Film/Video | Manuscript Reader | Teaching Materials Development |
| Editor, Magazine | Market Research | Technical/Medical Writer |
| Editor, News | Marketing Specialist | Training Specialist |
| Editor, Newspaper | Marketing Writer | Translator |
| Editor, Specialty Publications | Mass Media | Travel Editor |
| Editor, Science and Technology | Media Planner | Underwriter |
| Editor, Writer | Medical Records | Video Scriptwriter/Producer |
| Education & Training | Museum Curator | Writer |
| Education Materials Development | Narrator | Documentation Specialist |
| Educational Program Specialist | Nonprofit Administrator | Account Development |
What are your questions and concerns? Make a list of your issues, concerns, and ideas before you come for advisement.
Think you need to drop a course or take an incomplete? Take charge. Only you can set this up. Print the form out (choose it from the Table of Contents on the left) and get it signed in a timely manner. DON'T WAIT. There are deadlines for these things. When in doubt, check with the Registrar.
Are you having difficulty in a course? Every course isn't for every person. Ask yourself if you are bringing everything you should to the effort.
- Are you preparing for and attending class?
- Doing the reading and homework?
- Studying for tests?
- Working hard on papers and labs?
If all those things are true, perhaps you need a tutor. Many times, those are free. Check with the professor. Need to drop the course? Do it in a timely manner. Print out the form and have the professor sign it as soon as possible. That will free up time to do better on your other courses.
Your DARS (degree audit) form plots your degree progress toward graduation given your declared major and minor. Each semester, you need to check that to make sure it is accurate and that you have not changed your mind about your university plans. A fairly large percentage of students change majors in the course of their university careers, and that's fine too. Your college years should be a time of discovery and personal development.
- Pull up your DARS using Max Banner
- Check the course book for summer and autumn. Match what's available with what you need, focussing first on Gen. Ed. requirements.
- Tap Number: To register each semester, you will need both your MOO (your personal Millersville ID number stays the same during your entire stay at university) and a TAP (registration number which changes from semester to semester). You get the TAP at your session with the professor assigned as your advisor in major. If you don't have a major yet, you go to a generic assigned advisor. Questions about that? Chat with the nice folks at University Advisement Services.
- Register online during or after your scheduled time period. For Fall, 2006, that is