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Got a question today from a student. "How often, ideally, should I meet with my advisor?" This particular young man is an IFC president, and his advisor is a busy Assistant Dean of Students.
First and foremost, I strongly recommend a standing appointment. If you're trying to catch each other on a hit-and-miss basis, whenever both of you happen to have spare time, it's not going to work very well. If you only meet when there's a crisis or problem, then you're not making the most of the potential relationship.
Some students reject the idea of a standing appointment "because I'm in the student activities office all the time and see my advisor almost every day anyway." Sorry... not the same as a set time where you both focus on your mutual needs and the needs of your organization.
I recommend a standing appointment at least twice a month. If you are the leader of a particularly busy organization, then once a week is a reasonable expectation. For many student leaders and advisors, a half-hour standing appointment once a week can yield a lot of good.
Communicate with your advisor and tell him/her that you'd like to establish a standing appointment. If your advisor is an on-campus professional, ask if there's a certain time of the week that tends to be slow. Shoot for that time. It's not great if your advisor is squeezing you in between the end of a staff meeting and lunch. You won't get his/her full attention. Find a time when he/she has a clear mind and a quiet phone.
Back when I was a student, I had a standing appointment with my dean on Friday mornings at 7:30 a.m. We both happened to be morning people, and I had no competition for his attention at that time. It was also two days before my weekly meeting, and I liked being able to run ideas by him prior to our meetings and other social events planned for the weekend. It worked great for both of us.
I've seen student leaders and their advisors who worked out together, discussing group dynamics over squats at the gym. Whatever works for you.
I recommend getting away from his/her office, even if that just means the coffee shop on the corner. Expect to pay for your own coffee, and every now and then, pay for his/hers, just to say "thanks for the time." Don't expect your advisor to travel all the way across the campus to meet you. Find a convenient location near his/her home or work place.
Busy advisors will want to do the standing appointments in their office, because that's easy and convenient. If that's the case, start with that, and then try to convince him/her to get out of the office after a few appointments. Most people are happy for an excuse to escape their offices anyway.
If you need to cancel a standing appointment for any reason, be sure you're professional about it. Give your advisor notice, and don't make cancelling a habit. Advisors hate it when student leaders cancel on them constantly. It throws off their whole day, and you never know what else they cancelled to respect your appointment. You need to show the same level of respect.
It's a good idea to come with a few issues to discuss. They don't have to be huge and Earth shattering. Just some discussion starters. Your sessions with your advisor should have some unstructured time so he/she can ask you a few questions, dig a little, and suggest things you didn't even come asking for.
These appointments can also be phone appointments, if your advisor lives further away. There's nothing wrong with phone or IM appointments, if that's what works best for the two of you.
Bottom line: force yourself to commit to that advising time. By asking for a higher level of engagement, you solidify that important resource that a strong advisor provides. If your advisor rebuffs your request for a standing appointment, you need to find a better advisor. 30 minutes once a week – or twice a month – is a very reasonable request.
