Advising Support, Student Success, & Retention

Bulldog Road Map To Graduation

Navigating college can be challenging, especially when you're trying to make sure you've completed specific requirements, earned enough course credit, or attended certain events. TLU's Bulldog Road Map To Graduation visually breaks down how students become engaged, find support, and are challenged throughout their time at TLU. There are four different roadmaps each aligning with the year a student is at TLU or based on a student’s credit hours. Downloadable PDFs are available on the MyTLU Student Life tab and printed copies are available in the Student Activities & Campus Programs Office or in your residence hall.

MyMajors Assessment

Choosing a college major can be a difficult decision. At Texas Lutheran University, we encourage you to explore possible majors, and the Texas Lutheran University MyMajors assessment is one tool to assist you with this process.

After completing the TLU MyMajors assessment, you will receive a list of recommended majors at Texas Lutheran University based on your academic aptitudes, interests and personality. Students complete the TLU MyMajors assessment in their first semester at TLU.

Pathway Pursuit

Pathways Pursuit is a program designed to help undecided and exploratory majors take a closer look at their academic and career path and goals! Through a series of workshops, coaching sessions, group activities and assessments, Pathway Pursuit will open the door for students to build a network of support with their peers as well as the Advising Support and Career Services departments at TLU.

Finding the Right Fit

There are a variety of resources on campus to support students as they determine whether a major is the right fit. Check out below who you can connect with on campus to talk about your major.

#15To Finish

• Want to graduate on time?
• Get better grades?
• There’s a substantial amount of data that shows how taking 15 credits a semester (or 30 credits each school year) dramatically increases on-time graduation, leads to higher grade point averages (GPAs), and lower dropout rates!

Here a few reminders to help you stay on track to graduate on time:

• Meet with your academic advisor if you have questions or need help navigating through your degree plan. Remember: you don’t have to wait until the advising and registration period to speak with their advisors. Students can simply email for an appointment.
• Do not suffer in silence. There are so many benefits to speaking with your instructor or a staff member if you’re struggling inside or outside of the classroom.
• Take care of yourself! If you need mental health support, our TLU counselor, Sarah Westerfield is here to help!
• When it’s not an emergency but you need medical or mental tele-health support, you can visit anytime, from anywhere with TLU Care.

The Office of Student Success & Retention

The Office of Student Success & Retention provides support for all TLU students, houses the campus Collaborative Learning Assistance and Supplemental Instruction programs and provides campus-wide academic workshops, individual academic counseling, and support. The center is located in the Blumberg Memorial Library lower level east. The center has achieved certification Levels One and Two through the College Reading and Learning Association’s International Tutor Training Certification Program.

Academic Support

• Online Academic Support

  Academic support services at TLU provide academic assistance to all TLU students and is comprised of the Office of Student Success & Retention, Early Academic Warning Program, the Developing Scholars Program, and the Student Alert System.

  Students can find detailed information about when the sessions are on the Student Success & Retention page on MyTLU.

  No appointments are necessary, but students will need to drop in during scheduled hours. Schedules are currently being set, and sessions will begin the second week of the semester. We have CLAs available for math, statistics, Spanish, chemistry, physics, and computer science classes.

  SI sessions are available for certain biology and chemistry classes. All support offerings benefit strong and weaker students alike. Students who have sessions available for their classes should make a habit of attending. Studies show that students who attend SI, earn one-half to one whole letter grade higher than those who do not attend.

  Besides session schedules, other useful information found on the MyTLU Student Success & Retention page are short study strategies videos, links to various educational resources, and time management and stress management workshops.
  

• Study Strategies Workshops

  The center offers many study strategies workshops for students each semester and additional workshops can be scheduled for organizations, meetings or classes. Available workshop topics include test-taking strategies, time management, efficient study strategies, dealing with test anxiety, note-taking and reading texts. Any workshop can be tailored to address needs that are specific to a particular class or subject. A study strategies video series and a list of online resources are available to students on MyTLU.

• Early Academic Warning Program

  The Early Academic Warning Program is conducted after the third and sixth week of each semester for all first-year students, transfer students, athletes, and students on academic probation. The three-week inquiry includes checks on behavioral issues that could lead to academic difficulty, and the six-week check consists of grades earned as of that date. Those students who receive alerts will be contacted and provided information on campus resources available to improve their academic success.
  

• Student Alert System

  The Student Alert System is provided for faculty and staff who have concerns about students. After being notified of the concern, the Office of Student Affairs will contact the student for follow-up and provide appropriate information and/or referrals as needed.

• Developing Scholars Program

  The Developing Scholars program is a 1-credit course for students who have been placed on academic probation. Students who attend the weekly seminar with a campus support person will receive the support needed to work toward returning to good academic standing.

• Collaborative Learning Assistants

  CLAs (also known as tutors) are recommended by their professors based on good academic achievement in the courses they work with. They are then trained and supervised by the Student Success & Retention staff. All CLAs are familiar with course content as well as with study skills strategies, so they can help students understand not only what to learn but how to learn. Both the scheduled CLA and CLA by appointment are funded through university fees.

• Supplemental Instruction Leaders

  SI leaders are recommended by their professors and are trained and supervised by Student Success & Retention staff. They attend the class for which they lead sessions and they also take notes and read required texts.

  They then schedule learning sessions which focus on reviewing content material as well as improving the students’ ability to study, think critically, take tests and improve their overall performance as students.

  SI leaders are trained not only to help students in the class they are currently taking but to help them transfer good academic skills to the other classes they take. All students in the class are encouraged to attend, whether they want to raise a low grade to an acceptable one or raise a B to an A.

• Three-Week Advising

  The three-week advising period is a time for professors to provide feedback on the performance of first year students in their classes. Because it is only the third week of the semester, some professors may not have information to submit at this time; however, we encourage them to provide us insight on their students’ behavior (excessive absences, poor quality and quantity of work, stress, other behaviors that may be a concern). If your student has questions on how to retrieve this information, please share the following instructions:

  • Log into MyTLU
  • Click on “Student” tab
  • Go to “Transcript and Grade Reports” – located on the left side of the screen
  • From there, click on “Three-Week Check” on the page (above Mid-Term Report and Final Grade Report)
  • First year
  • On academic probation
  • In the Education program
  • Athletes
  • Dual participants
  • Transfers
  • Special non-degree-seeking

  If you experiencing any trouble on MyTLU please contact the TLU IT Department at (830) 372-6000 or email ishelp@tlu.edu; or visit the IT Help Desk in the Library Basement.

  Please note, Three-Week Checks take place in September (Fall semester) and February (Spring semester) and again in mid-October (Fall) and mid-March (Spring) for Six-Week Advising. At six-weeks, we ask professors to submit course averages for our first-year students. You will get a reminder as that time approaches.

  For parents of upperclassmen: Three- and Six-Week Check information is provided for students who are:

  • First year
  • On academic probation
  • In the education program
  • Athletes
  • Dual participants
  • Transfers
  • Special non-degree-seeking

Important Dates & Reminders For Current TLU Students:

• November 8-12 Faculty Advising
• November 15-19 Registration For Spring 2022
• December 8-9 Makeup Registration
• January 11-18 Late Registration & Schedule Changes
• January 12 Classes Begin
• March 28-April 1 Faculty Advising
• April 4-8 Registration for May, Summer, and Fall 2022 Terms
• April 27-28 Make-Up Registration