Is Meeting Enough? Differences in Frequency and Consequences of Academic Advising Appointments Between Marginalized and Mainstream College Students

Abstract

Scholars often suggest that marginalized students are less likely to connect with authority figures in college and thus do not reap the benefits those figures offer to mainstream students. To test this assumption, we draw on a data set containing records of every recorded advising appointment over 4 years for students at a large U.S. university system. We find that first-generation students are less likely to meet with academic advisers than continuing-generation students. However, other marginalized groups (racial/ethnicity minority, low-income, international students) are as or more likely to meet with advisers compared to mainstream students. Various groups experience GPA benefits from advising meetings; however, White students experience graduation benefits from advising meetings more than racial/ethnic minorities.