PAA Spotlight – Kristin Foringer!

Posted on July 14, 2013 by mtl1

Hello everyone!

This week we have a spotlight on Kristin Foringer, a junior at Baker College and an O-week Peer Academic Advisor!

With our PAA spotlights, we gather words of wisdom from some of the O-week Peer Academic Advisors you will encounter during O-week. Here is what Kristin has to say:

Coming into O-week “undecided” on my major meant I had a lot of questions for the people around me. I was already balancing the advice of my parents and the random comments coming from the Facebook group, so I was looking forward to a fresh perspective on academics at Rice from my O-week advisors and PAAs. It was so comforting to see how approachable and truly invested the PAAs were, and I funneled most of my academic planning questions through them. They were able to help me piece together a balanced schedule despite my wandering interests, ranging from linguistics to economics to poetry. Looking back, I feel lucky to have had such good guides leading me through the process, and I’m grateful I get to pay it forward as a returning O-week PAA this year. Some advice I would give to incoming students before O-week is to just relax and explore different academic directions without getting too caught up with requirements. We’ll work on sorting out the specifics during O-week! Some advice for during O-week, though, would be to really slow down and think about your schedule and feel good about it before registration. It’s important to make a quiet space for your own academic planning in the middle of the fast-paced (and fun) week of orientation! Have a good rest of the summer, and I look forward to meeting all of you very soon!

-Kristin

Stay tuned for more updates from the Office of Academic Advising! 1 month to go and we are excited to work with the new students!

07/14/13

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OAA Spotlight: Laura Kirkland (06/26/13)

Posted on June 26, 2013 by mtl1

Hey everyone! This is the first of many OAA spotlights where we give you a little info about each person in the OAA who work together to make sure new students have a successful four years at Rice.

This week’s spotlight goes to Laura Kirkland, Assistant Director of Academic Advising!

Laura is about to complete her first year at Rice! She is a health professions advisor and works with undergraduates considering graduate studies. She is an Associate at Brown College (you’ll learn more about them when you arrive). Her hobbies include reading, baking, playing Scrabble, and meeting new students! She also has a dog named Maggie who turned 5 years old in April. She loves all kinds of combinations of chocolate and peanut butter and her favorite Blue Bell ice cream flavor is pecan pralines and cream.

One of her favorite poems is by Mary Anne Radmacher – a great poem that will help any new student transitioning into the college life. It offers a great perspective and inspires deep thought in considering the values of your life here at Rice.

Live with intention.
Walk to the edge.
Listen hard.
Practice wellness.
Play with abandon.
Laugh.
Choose with no regret.
Continue to learn.
Appreciate your friends.
Do what you love.
Live as if this is all there is.

Feel free to stop by the OAA and chat with Laura if you have any academic advising questions or wanted someone to talk to! She will lend an open ear during your time at Rice!

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June 10, 2013: PAA Updates from the OAA!

Posted on June 10, 2013 by mtl1

Hey everyone!

The Student Directors of Peer Academic Advising are currently hard at work preparing materials to make sure that everyone goes smoothly on the academics aspect of O-week 2013. O-week is 50% academic advising and we are making sure that each and every student is well equipped for their coursework and life at Rice.

During O-week, you will encounter a variety of people. These people will fall into the following main categories:

– Peer Academic Advisors (PAAs): These are students from your college and they were extensively trained on the academic requirements, regulations, and logistics here at Rice. They will be your primary guide and liaison for all academically related issues including course selection, academic planning, specialized degrees,  and internships. The PAAs come from a variety of majors and are excited to help you plan your academic careers at Rice.

-Divisional Advisors (DAs): These are faculty members from each of the four main “schools” at Rice: Humanities, Natural Science, Engineering, and Social Sciences. They are also extensively trained in their respective schools and can give you a broad yet focused overview of the majors and specialties offered in their school. They are extremely knowledgeable in their fields and are a great resource to learn about the different opportunities at Rice.

-Faculty Mentors: For first year students, each O-week group will be assigned a faculty mentor who will be the main guide for not only academics but also social life at Rice. They are there for new students to get acclimated to life at Rice and are excited to learn about each new student and become an integral part of their first year.

What about the Student Directors of PAA? What do we do exactly?

As Student Directors (Rebecca McKinnell and Michael Lam), our responsibility is to make sure the transition into academic life at Rice goes as smoothly as possible for all residential colleges. We aim to prepare all students by offering them a vast array of resources from pre-medical to transfer credit information and making sure they know all the nuances of the academic system to make smart decisions.

Throughout the summer, the Student Directors will be working with the Office of Academic Advising, updating on the events at the OAA. Each week, we will provide a  “OAA spotlight” on the different people at the Office of Academic Advising and how they can help you jump-start your career as a Rice Owl.

Stay tuned for future posts!

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Summer O-week 2013 Preparations

Posted on June 5, 2013 by mtl1

Summer is finally here and it is time to get materials ready for O-week 2013. Excitement is in the air and I know that this will be one of the best O-weeks yet!  The OAA is making sure that we have all the things we need to facilitate the transition of new students to the Rice academic system. Academic Advising at Rice University strives for an unparalleled environment for undergraduates to explore opportunities, identify goals, and implement plans to reach those goals. As such, we hope to see that mission statement successfully completed as each new student begins their academic careers at Rice.

Stay tuned for more info about the O-week PAAs (we will get into that soon!) and things related to O-week 2013 and academics!

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February PAAs of the Month

Posted on February 11, 2013 by scloots

Congratulations, Sachin Allahabadi and Kristin Foringer, on being named PAAs of the Month-February 2013!

“Sachin eptomizes the excellence that is the PAA program. His consistent dedication through O-week and at Sid Rich has been clearly evident. He shows exemplary prudence in his advising abilities and always seeks to improve the academic culture of all those around him, no matter what college he/she is from. Seeing Sachin every day during lunch and taking leadership by reaching out to all the students that need his help had inspired me to become a PAA myself. I truly believe that his commitment to the PAA program and all that it entails is worthy of commending. Sachin is simply one of the best PAAs I have seen at Rice.”

“When I think of PAA, I think Kristen Foringer. In fact, she’s so good at being a PAA that she’s most commonly known as Kristen Foringer The PAA. She’s always available to answer questions about any aspect of academic advising. Even when she might be doing something else, she always takes the time to sit down and listen to any questions I might have about academic planning or courses. Kristen’s extremely approachable and very visible around Baker and around campus, which makes it easy to go to her and ask for advice.  Rice is known for its Culture of Care, and if any PAA exemplifies this compassion for peers, it’s Kristen Foringer The PAA”

 

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PAA Information Sessions

Posted on December 12, 2012 by scloots

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PAA Applications are out!

Posted on December 12, 2012 by scloots

Interested in making a difference at your college and campus-wide? Become a PAA!

Learn more about the position and process here: https://docs.google.com/a/rice.edu/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHNvMzljTjBPbjJaYzVYaWpNa2x6dHc6MA#gid=0

 

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November PAAs of the Month!

Posted on November 12, 2012 by scloots

Congratulations, Michelle Green and Joseph Vento, on being named PAAs of the Month- November 2012!

“Michelle is the foundation for the exceptional PAA program at Brown. As an O-Week and Head PAA, she has ensured that all of the PAAs at Brown are fulfilling their responsibilities and making the most of their positions to help other students. She is a shining example of a dedicated, hard-working, and enthusiastic PAA that empowers others to make an impact in the residential college.”

 

 

 

“Joseph shows really strong leadership, especially now that we have new PAAs. He is always committed to making our McM events successful and goes way above and beyond. He is also really helpful during our PAA meetings and always has great ideas to improve and enhance our college! Also he is a theme-thinking genius!!”

 

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Almost Time to Apply to be a Fantabulous PAA!

Posted on November 9, 2012 by scloots

Do you remember back in O-Week when those energetic O-Week PAAs, as well as Year-Long PAAs helped alleviate your class schedule and registration stresses? Or, how about those cute and informational Academic Planning Sessions and Study Breaks your PAAs host every semester? Well, now it’s time for YOU to step up to the challenge! We’ll soon be looking for the next generation of energetic, passionate, approachable, and helpful students to apply to be Peer Academic Advisors!

You might not be aware of this, but a really great feature of the program is that we’re constantly looking for ways to improve. You have autonomy within your college to host your choice of events, hold office hours, use social media, and/or to do whatever else you can think of that will help students plan their academic futures!

We also have just kicked off a new committee program where PAAs specialize in different aspects of advising such as transfers, undecided students, pre-laws, health professions, research opportunities, etc. Since it’s a brand new program, we are very open to new ideas, as well as new leaders!

Additionally, I strongly recommend that you check out the article “Outcomes of being a PAA” (https://ricepaa.rice.edu/2012/06/29/outcomes-of-being-a-paa/)! It has some great testimonials from current PAAs about the merits of the program. Here’s a snippet of my favorite one:

“Being a PAA, and specifically a Head PAA, has allowed me to gain leadership experience in planning and organizing events for my peers. It is extremely rewarding to have so many people attend an event that we organized, and even further gratifying to see how many people walk out after an academic planning session much more comfortable and confident with their academic plans… I think the success of Rice’s PAA program is validated through the fact that many, if not all, of Rice students that I know feel much more comfortable going to a PAA than going to even major department advisors.”

– Sachin Allahabadi, Sid Rich

Lastly, a little haiku for your amusement:

 To help students scheme

And to bring new ideas

Be a PAA!

Keep checking back to the PAA Blog for more information and application!

Greta Skudra, McMurtry Head PAA

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Student Directors Chosen for 2013-2014

Posted on November 8, 2012 by scloots

 

The Office of Academic Advising proudly announces Michael Lam & Rebecca McKinnell as Student Directors of Peer Academic Advising for 2013-2014.

Michael is a Sid Rich junior majoring in Bioengineering.  He has served as an O-week PAA for two years, helps lead the Health Professions PAA Committee and currently serves Sid Rich as a head PAA. Rebecca is a junior at McMurtry college majoring in Computational and Applied Mathematics. She has served as an O-week PAA for two years, works closely with the transfer committee and is serving as a McMurtry Head PAA.

When asked why he chose to apply for the position, Michael says, “Personally, I wish to play a more interactive role in the world of PAAs.  I want to contribute even more to the PAA family by not only assisting my college but also engaging students and other PAAs from all colleges. By being the student director, I hope to bridge the relationships and ideas between all the PAAs between the colleges … for unbounded discussions among the PAAs.”

When asked why she chose to apply for the position, Rebecca says, “Being a part of the PAA program has become a very central part of my time at Rice. Not only do I love interacting with individual students, but I also enjoy being more involved on the planning and leadership side of the program. It has been both challenging and rewarding to establish the PAA program at McMurtry and I have loved every aspect of being a Head PAA, from talking with students to planning events and organizing our team. I am starting to realize just how much goes on behind the scenes and I believe I could help the PAAs at every college keep things running smoothly and improve their program.”

In addition to their work with the Office of Academic Advising, both Michael and Rebecca are active in many other organizations on campus. Rebecca is considering a career in teaching high school or working in industry with her CAAM background. Michael hopes to continue his education in Medical School upon graduation. Please help us welcome Rebecca McKinnell and Michael Lam to our Academic Advising team!

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