CPI Academic Advising & Mentorship 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A student on academic probation visits your office feeling overwhelmed and ashamed. What is the MOST appropriate first response?
- Immediately outline a rigid improvement plan
- Acknowledge their feelings and create a safe, non-judgmental space (Correct answer)
- Remind them of the consequences if grades don't improve
- Refer them to financial aid to review scholarship eligibility
Correct answer: Acknowledge their feelings and create a safe, non-judgmental space
Establishing a supportive, non-judgmental environment is essential before addressing academic strategies, as students in distress must feel heard first.
Question 2: Which advising model emphasizes the student as an active co-creator of their educational plan rather than a passive recipient of information?
- Prescriptive advising
- Developmental advising (Correct answer)
- Intrusive advising
- Delegative advising
Correct answer: Developmental advising
Developmental advising, rooted in student development theory, treats students as partners who actively shape their own academic and personal growth.
Question 3: A first-generation college student is unaware that dropping a course after the withdrawal deadline will result in a failing grade on their transcript. This situation BEST illustrates the need for:
- Prescriptive intervention from the registrar's office
- Proactive advising that addresses hidden curriculum knowledge gaps (Correct answer)
- Mandatory financial literacy workshops
- Stricter enforcement of registration deadlines
Correct answer: Proactive advising that addresses hidden curriculum knowledge gaps
First-generation students often lack knowledge of institutional policies that continuing-generation students learn informally, making proactive advising critical.
Question 4: When a mentee expresses a career goal that seems unrealistic given their current academic performance, a mentor should PRIMARILY:
- Discourage the goal to prevent future disappointment
- Explore the goal's roots and co-develop a realistic action plan (Correct answer)
- Immediately redirect them to a more attainable career path
- Consult other faculty before responding to the student
Correct answer: Explore the goal's roots and co-develop a realistic action plan
Effective mentors honor student aspirations while collaboratively identifying concrete steps and realistic benchmarks to bridge the gap between current status and goals.
Question 5: Under FERPA, an advisor may share a student's academic records with a parent WITHOUT the student's written consent ONLY when:
- The student is under 21 years old
- The student is claimed as a dependent on the parent's federal tax return (Correct answer)
- The parent pays the student's tuition directly
- The student has given verbal permission during a meeting
Correct answer: The student is claimed as a dependent on the parent's federal tax return
FERPA allows disclosure to parents of dependent students (as defined by IRS tax dependency status) without the student's consent, regardless of the student's age.
Question 6: An advisor notices that a student from an underrepresented group rarely participates in office hours despite performing below average. The MOST effective strategy is to:
- Send a mass email to all low-performing students encouraging help-seeking
- Personally reach out with a specific, warm invitation and address potential barriers (Correct answer)
- Ask a peer tutor to approach the student on the advisor's behalf
- Wait for the student to self-refer when they are ready
Correct answer: Personally reach out with a specific, warm invitation and address potential barriers
Targeted outreach with a personal, barrier-aware invitation is more effective than passive or indirect approaches for students who face systemic or cultural hesitancy in seeking help.
Question 7: A student asks their advisor to help them choose between two majors. After several sessions, the student remains undecided. The advisor should NEXT:
- Assign the student a major based on their strongest grades
- Administer a career interest inventory and debrief the results together (Correct answer)
- Refer the student to a different advisor who specializes in their interests
- Tell the student to take electives until they naturally find a direction
Correct answer: Administer a career interest inventory and debrief the results together
Career interest inventories provide structured self-discovery data that can break decision-making paralysis, and debriefing together keeps the process developmentally supportive.
CPI Academic Advising & Mentorship 2
A student on academic probation visits your office feeling overwhelmed and ashamed.
What is the MOST appropriate first response?