My Philosophy of Advising

Alexis C. Knapp

Although they may not realize it when they arrive, students don't come to their undergraduate school simply for the academic content they will receive here. They come here to learn about themselves, to find what they are great at, to discover what they have a passion for, and to do some occasionally painful self-assessment about the feasibility of the plans they may have had the day they walked in the door. As a Christian institution, we have an even stronger calling than some to help them make some of those discoveries and guide them through them. Because of that calling, I believe an advisor is a guide, a mentor, a counselor, a teacher, a protector, a mirror of reflection, a cheerleader, and a prayer warrior for the student who seeks his/her assistance.

Any advising that is worth anything at all must be holistic in nature - it has to deal with the entire student - it has to create repeated , meaningful interactions with students throughout their paths here at HBU. This means remembering what classes they fear and love, asking them about difficult issues they shared with you, following up on what they are pursuing, remembering what it is that they are planning on doing with their lives, and CHOOSING to interact with them, even when (and especially when) registration is not pending!

Being an advisor on this campus has been a rewarding experience that I certainly did not expect to have, based on my experience as an undergraduate student at another university. I have realized how critical a role these students play in my life, and when I watch them walk across that stage, and a parent meets me afterwards and says they've heard their child discuss, at home, the things I've done to impact their lives, I am overwhelmed by the responsibility that God has blessed me with.

Alexis Knapp serves as the Undergraduate Programs Coordinator for the College of Business and Economics at Houston Baptist University in Houston, TX .