As the 2018-19 school year comes to a close, many are preparing and planning for the next year.

On April 2, all classes at Mercyhurst University were canceled for this school years’ second Advising Day.

I am not sure if other schools even have an Advising Day.

However, I think Advising Day it is greatly beneficial here at Mercyhurst for all students for various reasons.

One could sleep in and relax with friends.

Another could use the day to catch up on work.

Certain students even decide to work ahead in order to relieve some future stress.

No matter who you are, Advising Day is a win-win for everyone.

I think the day is also useful for figuring out what you want to do next semester.

The Mercyhurst University Portal points out which classes you should take.

But, everyone’s academic path is not able to be solved with a standard one-size-fits-all solution.

Some students are going to make different choices in regards to what they do with their schedule.

For example, some students may plan to do Study Abroad.

For other students, there’s things such as internships to consider. For other students, there are clinical issues and sports to work around.

For most students, scheduling your classes is not a clear-cut thing.

Advising Day helps each student get advice from their professor on how to tailor their course plan to their individual wants and needs.

It’s a great service to the students here on campus.

As a double major, I have the privilege of experiencing two types of advising, individual and group.

Individual advising is when you meet with a professor one-on-one to discuss your schedule.

Group advising is when professors advise students on their schedule in a group.

Personally, I prefer individual advising because of the very direct one-on-one attention and advice.

However, I am aware that with the ratio of professors to students in certain departments, individual advising is not feasible.

Both of my advisers send out electronic sign-ups, which is more convenient than having to sign up on the professor’s door in person.

However, the downfall to electronic sign-ups is that the more convenient times are taken more quickly.

Personally, I love that fact that Mercyhurst cancels classes on Advising Day.

This is not just because it allows me to let go of my normal stress about classes and my impossible schedule.

It is also about how Advising Day allows me to work ahead so I am not bogged down with tons of work in the future.

Advising Day also acts as a mid-week mind reset from the hustle and bustle of the regular school week.

Although the next Fall Semester is now five months away from the day this is published, time flies by very quickly.

It is already somehow early April.

I honestly do not know where the year went.