Professional advisors at NDSU are instrumental in helping you reach your education goals. From degree mapping to sharing campus resources, professional advisors make the NDSU experience better.
Hunter Ferrell, a freshman majoring in computer science, said his advisor, Jill Stromsborg, has been helpful in many ways, including navigating him through the class registration process, showing him how to use Campus Connection and making him feel confident about choosing NDSU.
“Jill has been extremely helpful, super kind and, despite having so much on her plate, finds time to respond to any questions I have with an unbelievable quickness,” Ferrell said.
Ferrell has been meeting with Stromsborg since he enrolled in his NDSU classes last fall. Among some of the best advice he’s received from Stromsborg so far is having taken a relatively light class load his first semester so he could adjust to college life while meeting new friends and maintaining a good GPA.
In her role, Stromsborg’s main responsibility is supporting her advisees depending on their specific needs and referring them to the various resources on campus, including the Counseling Center, ACE Tutoring and more.
“Communication is key between an advisor and student. I am always open to students to let them know that they can come to me for any question and, even if I don’t know the answer, I will get them to the person that does,” Stromsborg said.
This year Stromsborg has advised 210 students majoring in computer science, data science, cybersecurity, information technology, computer engineering, electrical engineering and software engineering.
Even outside of his academics, Ferrell said Stromsborg has been extremely supportive and cares about his overall wellbeing.
“A while back I went to one of the Engineering Learning Leadership Community’s lunches, and Jill was there. We had a wonderful conversation about classes, the college environment and even how our last week or so had been,” he said. “Another great moment was when she suggested me for the Engineering Ambassadors, which I believe was very helpful to me joining the organization.”
Reflecting on his first year at NDSU, Ferrell said having a professional advisor has enhanced his college experience.
“Jill has made my experience so much better than it would’ve been without her as my academic advisor,” he said. “One specific example of this is when she emailed in the middle of the semester just to ask how one of my more difficult classes was going and even gave me some resources in case I needed help, which was entirely unprompted and greatly appreciated.”
As he continues through his degree, Ferrell said he feels confident in his program and at NDSU because of the advice Stromsborg has provided him.
“I have a very strong understanding of what I’m doing, why I’m doing it and how to do it just because Jill has been so transparent about everything, even warning me of the more difficult classes and helping me prepare,” he said.
Stromsborg said her favorite part of advising is learning more about her students and hearing about their success.
“Seeing them get excited about an internship they got or watching them be successful in a course that maybe they were nervous about taking are a couple of the wins I love seeing for students,” she said. “Seeing that confidence grow is such an incredible feat for students and it’s just so fulfilling seeing them grow as a person both personally and professionally.”
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