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Cal Poly’s College of Liberal Arts is seeing long delays for face-to-face advising this fall, with in-person appointments booked out through November as staff adjust to a lighter advising roster and the university’s shift from quarters to semesters. The backlog is affecting students’ course choices and schedule planning at a moment when course equivalencies and degree maps are changing.
Fewer advisors, later intern training
The CLA Advising Center is operating with four full-time advisors this term — one fewer than last academic year — and two graduate interns who began their training after the semester started rather than over the summer. That staggered start has limited the center’s capacity because the interns are not yet cleared to advise independently.
Lauren Kolodziejski, associate dean for the Student Success Center, said the center has felt a surge in demand tied to the academic calendar change and the compressed advising window students face during conversion.
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Why wait times matter now
The semester conversion has created fresh uncertainty about which courses transfer and how credits apply to majors, increasing the need for individualized guidance. Students trying to finalize their schedules or decide whether to drop and waitlist for alternate classes have faced delays that complicate timely enrollment.
Short waits for immediate questions are workable, but when appointments are scarce, even routine course decisions can become stressful.
Students describe the impact
Some undergraduates say the adjustment has disrupted their planning. A psychology sophomore reported that a course she expected to apply toward her major did not carry over under the semester system, forcing her to take it as an elective and hunt for another class to meet degree requirements. She waited several weeks for an appointment while weighing whether to drop classes and join waitlists.
Other students found drop-in advising more useful. A political science student said in-person appointments were fully booked early in the term, but drop-in sessions answered her conversion questions quickly. A graphic communications sophomore described the drop-ins as efficient, noting she was able to resolve her question without meeting someone face-to-face.
How the center is managing demand
The advising team has prioritized short, same-day help to reach the largest number of students while the interns complete training. For questions that require deeper planning, the center still offers longer sessions.
- Drop-ins: Best for quick clarifications about credit transfers, deadlines, and simple enrollment questions.
- 45-minute appointments: Intended for complex needs such as long-term degree planning, major changes, or verifying full-time enrollment requirements.
- Zoom drop-ins: Recommended first step—students can get peer-advisor help remotely before pursuing a scheduled meeting.
What students should do next
Students navigating the semester conversion should check Zoom drop-in hours first for immediate guidance. Reserve a scheduled appointment if you need in-depth planning, are changing majors, or must confirm your course load for financial aid or other administrative requirements.
As advisors complete intern training and staff capacity stabilizes, the center expects to shift back toward a more balanced mix of appointments and drop-in availability. Until then, using the available drop-in options can reduce delays for many routine advising needs.
