Moody College has implemented changes in Moody Advising for the 2024-2025 academic year. Students can now choose their advisors during drop-ins or be assigned to any available advisors, enhancing flexibility and accessibility. The new system, proposed by Theresa Thomas, director of Moody advising, has reduced the pre-scheduling window from 28 months to only two weeks in advance, reducing no-shows and student anxiety. 

Before this year, students were assigned one academic advisor at the beginning of their first year who would stick with them throughout their time at UT. Now, Moody students can meet with any advisor they choose. If you need an appointment on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m., it'll assign you to whichever advisor is free. If you meet with an advisor during drop-ins and you get along, that person can be your go-to advisor. Now, you can open up the newly-refreshed Moody STAR online scheduling system, which opens the advisors’ calendars only two weeks in advance, encouraging an equal opportunity for all. 

Moody College has also introduced a more comprehensive advisor training program that integrates university-wide and department-specific training elements to cover all major bases to enhance advising quality and consistency. The training begins with foundational online modules covering essential university policies and protocols, ensuring that all advisors understand UT's administrative framework. Following this, advisors participate in specialized training tailored to Moody College. This dual approach reflects the institution's structural complexity while promoting a unified advising standard. A vital component of this training process is experiential shadowing. New advisors begin by observing experienced advisors in action, allowing them to absorb subtle aspects of advising that are best learned in contexts, such as communication strategies, problem-solving approaches and major-specific details. Gradually, new advisors take on a more active role, conducting their advising appointments under the supervision of tenured advisors, who provide feedback and support. When the advisor and their mentors agree on their readiness, they transition to independent advising. 

Thomas highlights her nostalgia of Moody advising, from her time as a student to joining the team in 2004. Advising in the early 90s was at the now-demolished Frank Erwin Center, with tables set up with different departments, she said. You would approach the department with the advisors, and they would check their paper lists to see if there were seats in that class. If there was room, you were given a sheet of paper and had to take that sheet to the registration office. 

Then, it changed to where students sought guidance in the CMA building and lined up at "bank teller windows" to request appointments. Waiting in line was a shared experience, especially since each advisor's office was scattered across departments, making a quick question into a cross-campus trek. 

Later, it transitioned into a specific Moody course advising; however, you would have to physically wait for the advising office, first-come, first-served basis, lining the hallways. 

“We didn't have electronic wait lists, So as a journalism supervisor, I had a binder and would have students come sign up to be on a waitlist, and I would keep track of whether there were spaces, and I would manually add students from the waitlist,” Theresa explained. 

There were no crossing advisors; therefore, in this model, journalism majors, for instance, would meet with a journalism advisor who focused solely on major-specific coursework. However, for anything related to university-wide policies, like dropping a class, students were sent back to the central office, often leading to repeated trips and extended waits. Right after, they switched to the telephone system, TEX. You could call this number and speak your unique numbers into the phone with automated responses such as “the course you requested after you said the unique number is full,” every call ended with “Goodbye and good luck.” Then, in 2005, there was a complete transition to Moody online appointment scheduling, with each student assigned one advisor. 

The evolution towards today's "one-stop shop" advising model began as Moody College grew and moved into its current building around 2012. Here, advising became more integrated, with the department and Student Affairs advisors working together under one roof, making it easier for students to get comprehensive guidance without bouncing from office to office. As student enrollment increased, the advising structure evolved, moving from major-specific teams to assigned caseloads, where each advisor took responsibility for a specific set of students. This setup provided a more individualized advising relationship and limited students' flexibility in choosing or switching advisors, causing frustration in students' busy schedules. 

Now, students can select any advisor within the college based on personal preference or urgency, allowing for a more personalized and flexible experience. This shift symbolizes a nod to modernizing and adapting to students' evolving needs for accessibility and support. This nostalgic journey through the history of Moody's advising reflects broader shifts in higher education: from rigid systems to student-focused, adaptable structures designed to foster accessibility and autonomy.