Best TESC Advisor for BA

[lmech]

I was wondering if anyone could recommend a good advisor for TESC? I have seen over the last months that customer service is not the strong point of this institution, and would like to get some recommendations from everyone. I hope that many other people can use this particular thread. Thanks

Lanny

[brothermike]

I too would like a recommendation for a BSBA.

Gracias in advance.

[TeeitupTom]

I'd like to third that request for even a decent advisor at Thomas Edison.

I'm enrolled there and they have messed me up three times with information that turned out to be completely inaccurate. Mind you the information I was requesting was about their own degree programs. Sorry to be so honest here but I think of TESC as a self-service school. You can get a degree fast but you have to get all the information on your own. I've had problems with several departments there but I expected advising to know their stuff. Since they gave me bad information I've learned to verify everything they say by asking others and by searching their various publications. Twice I emailed them with citings of pages from their own documents after I was misinformed by advisors. My aim in doing so was not to embarrass them, rather I was trying to educate so they wouldn't give out the same wrong info to paying students.

Yes please respond to OP if you have a name. It would help many of us avoid frustration.

[YokotaJo]

I am going to watch my words here as I am only one class away from my BA at TESC but...................there is an advisor that has a pretty solid and earned rep as being rude, condensending, abrupt and only addressess about 10% of any question asked. That said, I am not about to take that under any circumstances and most certainly not from ",my" soon to be alma mater. I discussed the matter with the advising office and also sent a very polite, professional and detailed email to Dr Gary Keel and I was given the info I needed, the appropriate contacts and the professional courtesy that anyone enrolled should get.

Since that time, I have spoken with several very capable and extremely knowledgable advisors. Names that I have never seen posted on any boards. One advisor was so helpful and courteous and accomodating, I asked her "are you sure that you work for TESC and are you sure you are really allowed to be so helpful?". I politely told her that so many people complain about the advisiing department that I feel that many people do not even think of taking their courses through TESC. Several advisors have given me their direct email addresses and have been very prompt to return my emails in follow up to our converstaions. Personally, I would not use their direct email address for a new question or concern but appreciate the ease that we could go back and forth a few times to hammer out the final details of my ever-changing degree plan.

I had a few unusual circumstances regarding my testing process and the testing office was professional and polite. One issue was under debate so I wrote a very direct, detailed letter explaining my points, issues and concerns. The testing office agreed with my view and we worked out an arrangement that satisfied both of us.

It is easy to send off a help ticket, get a half ass answer back and then be pissed. OR an enrolled student can send a detailed, bullet pointed email to the adivising office or which ever office is of concern and then follow up on it until the question is properly answered. If they do not answer the issue...then send it to Dr Keel to be routed to the proper person. I do not use the help ticket system as it makes the formating of the email all funky. I send an email to Enrolled @ TESC.edu. Put your student ID # and name and degree in the subject line. You will get back a confirmation and a help ticket number. I have even attached a spread sheet, the actual letter in word (so my bullet points and bolding and italics all show up just as I intended them to).

I see alot of people posting that they have a hard time getting specific info about their degree plans but they are not enrolled. I personally feel that springing for the $75 for DETAILED info on YOUR plans is worth it. (I am not saying that someone should have to spend money for general info so lets not start that thread).

Sooooooo in my humble opinion the best way to get some specific info from TESC is to:
1) send a detailed email (not help ticket) to enrolled at TESC. edu with your student ID # , full name, degree and a few words describing the issue of the email

2) if you do not feel that the question was addressed or answered in full or with the correct info, CC the original email and add in your new comments to Dr Gary Keel at TESC

3) Follow up with a telephone call to the advising office --- making an appt is useless as they are booking two-three weeks out (I pointed this out to Dr Keel) and who is going to wait that long to get some info on their plan?
When I called the advising office I clearly state who I do NOT want to talk to. That is how I was sent to the super informed advisors.

That is just my suggestions but you really do have to take control of the situation at TESC and just about anywhere you call.

Back to studying.......

[a mom]

I've also put a specific advisor's name in the subject line. I don't know if that's kosher or not, but it seems to work and he's been the one that replies.

After he caught an error that someone else made (and took away 3 credits), I felt it was better to go through him. I didn't want any last minute surprises.

[MadMax396]

Reverberating Yokota Joe a little but there is a bright side. THe problem is. Good advisors are working at the school and aren't always available. Carolyn for instance was the fine woman I set up my degree plan with. And she quickly alerted me to an opportunity I had not considered which happened to be a great opportunity I wanted to puruse. There was another guy who made a quick judgement and said hey , no go ahead and take that clep we can apply that to the associates and the bachelors on the hotline excellent work!

Just a couple of days ago I spoke to Donna and she was extremely helpful well to do and on the spot with information. When I was down about not being able to complete my credits on time she quickly provided a second option to look at. Which is good when you dont know about the option yet.

Don't be lazy; Be hardworking, determined and thorough.

Try and call early to midday when there is an advisor in the office you can speak to. The hotline people just cut everything short. Mostly because they want you to get better attention and some because it seems like they want to keep the call as short as possible which I dont like. All in all a well crafted Email is the best way to contact them. I had an enrollment problem and an evaluation problem and when i called Donna she was reading my email at the time and working my evaluation.

Best of luck. There are good advisors out there just keep sifting through. And sometimes. Be Your Own Advisor.

[Jason86]

**Cool tips**Now I know to specifically ask not to speak to the 2 uninformed or terminally lazy advisers I've gotten. Also since my help desk tickets only get partial or half a** answers then marked complete I'll try the email idea you all mentioned. Thank you for your detailed responses. It gives me hope to know other enrolled students have figured out how to get help when they have questions.

Actually I was starting to think the reason the tesc advising office was unhelpful (and one time rude) was because they don't make money on students who take CLEPS, DANTES, ECE's and all testing and class options not owned by the school.

The only bad service and misinformation issues I've encountered since enrolling have been with the office of student advisement. One guy told me it makes no difference which BA or BS program a student does because the degrees themselves only say Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science. But one look at the want ads proves that the demand for graduates of all different degree programs isn't equal.

When I posted on the student board to the head, Keel about my problems getting a timely appointment with the online-scheduler he told me to speak to his secretary and she would get me in quicker. When I called the secretary and relayed what I was told she kept interrupting me to tell me I didn't need to call for an appointment because they have an online scheduler. While I was repeating that I had called for a more timely appointment she interrupted me to argue her point in favor of their online-scheduler. I can do a lot of research and act as be my own advisor because I don't believe in being lazy but if I have a few questions and can't get an appointment then why not just help a student out.

The day of the appointment I called on time but was told the advisor wasn't available. I'll confess that made it hard to conceal my aggravation. An advisor did call me back 35 minutes later so I'll give them that. The NJmedic poster who said dealing with this school could sometimes be like poking a mule got it right. Persistence is what finally worked to get me the help I needed.

[lmech]

Thanks for all the tips eveyone. I have learned much about the advisor process from your replies. Much appreciated!