Registration advising will be upon us soon, with its usual storm of appointments, emails and phone calls. I reached out recently to a group of advisors to find out their tips for weathering the onslaught.

Make time for lunch, multiple advisors stressed. I make time for lunch even if I don’t leave the office, Latin American studies, Jewish studies and linguistics advisor Cindy Gladstone wrote.

Set expectations, government advisor Nathan Vickers wrote, and let students know that questions not pertaining to the spring will have to be handled at a later date. Using an automatic email response is a commonly used way to manage students’ expectations of when they should receive a reply.

Water, candy and walks around the building are recommended by history advisor Jason Gentry. In addition, he wrote, he buys Emergen-C for when he’s feeling run down and will also offer it to colleagues or students if they seem like they are getting sick.

It is easy to get frustrated when students ask the same questions again and again, Spanish and Portuguese and European studies advisor Liz Hastings noted, and recommended remaining mindful that it’s the first time the student in front of you is asking the question. She recommends remaining lighthearted and storytelling.

As you go through registration advising this semester, keep track of what you do to help yourself perform your best. It will be time to gather tips for fall registration before you know it.

Article by Summer Caccioti