Best Practices: Making the Most of Your Queries/Meeting

We want you to make the most of your time during your meetings with us. Here are some tips that will help!

CASA coaches get many emails/inquiries a day via email and phone. We want to answer your questions quickly, but we often have to circle back to students to get more information, possibly delaying our response time. Below are some suggestions that will get you the answers you need! 

Let us know what you are experiencing. What helps your coach is knowing when you started experiencing your concerns and the steps that you took along the way. 

Specifics are always helpful, but we understand that sometimes these issues happen over time. Even if you were to give us a ballpark of when these issues happened (ex.: around the first midterm, after break, at the beginning of the semester) that would be very helpful.

Example:

Hi CASA Coach,
I am trying to add classes right now. Every time I try to add I keep getting an error message. Can you add me to the course?

What's Happening Rewrite:

Hi CASA Coach,

I tried to add Econ XXX, section 6 on August 13th. I got an error message that says “pre-requisite error”. Are you aware of why this error would come up and whether I will be able to add this course? Here is a screenshot I took of the message.

Now that we know what's happening, can you tell us who you spoke to along the way? Was it a professor, a staff member, a friend? Also, if you didn't talk to anyone, that's okay. 

Sometimes we need to circle back to individuals for more information, so any clarity around who you worked with will be helpful!

Example:

Hi CASA coach,

I missed class and we were supposed to present our paper. My professor said they are willing to excuse me but they need an email from you. Can you send one?

Who did you talk to example:

Hi CASA coach,

On August 13th, I missed my ECON XXX course due to (*only if you feel you want to share or need support moving forward*). My professor, Dr. XXX, shared that they would like you to email them acknowledging that we have spoken about my absence. This email will help in allowing for my absence to be excused.

We like knowing what you anticipate your outcome to be so we can provide you with as much guidance as possible. Here are some examples of outcomes:

  • I would like to add/drop a course
  • I would like to change my major/minor
  • I would like to explore what clubs are available to me
  • I would like to learn more about what a leave absence would mean

You may not have a specific outcome (changing majors comes to mind) but we can help you figure that out too!

Example:

Hi CASA Coach,

I want to add a new major and minor. Where do I go?

Hoping to Achieve Rewrite: 

Hi CASA Coach,

I am currently an ECON major and would like to switch my major as well as pick up a minor in health studies. I have met with a minor advisor for health studies. I am not sure what major I would like to switch to. I am hoping to make this change before registration begins on November 2nd. What are the next steps to take?

Let us know what your time frame is. Know that we'll do our best to help you work towards your deadline. Keep in mind that some processes like add/drop or change of major may require additional signatures and contacts. These may add onto your anticipated deadline, but your coach will provide you with next steps to make this easier.

Example:

Hi CASA Coach,

I want to add a new major and minor. Where do I go?

What Is Your Time Frame Rewrite:

Hi CASA Coach,

I am currently an ECON major and would like to switch my major and pick up with a minor in health studies. I have met with a minor advisor for health studies. I am not sure what major I would like to switch to. I am hoping to make this change before registration begins on November 2nd. What are the next steps to take?

A lot of issues can bring up a lot of feelings...bring those to your meeting too. We can assist you with referrals to services like Counseling and Psychological Services, the Learning, Writing, and Speaking Centers,  Student Disability Services, and many other organizations on campus that can help.

Sometimes talking out how you're feeling can ease your mind - know that you're not alone at USF, and we're here to help! Your coach is an ally to help through USF, so please come by frequently during drop-ins and via appointment!

Example:

Hi CASA Coach,

I am struggling in my classes. I am not sure what to do. Life is so hard right now. Please help.

*Note: this email is not a problem if this is all you can share at the moment or represents the range you have. It is always better to reach out then not at all. The following email is an example of helpful information to include so that we can assess your issue as soon as possible.

I Feel... rewrite:

Hi CASA Coach,

I have been experiencing *insert descriptions of thoughts, emotions, actions here*. This has been happening since the second week of the semester.

I currently have been absent from my ART and RHET course since September 24th and have been ignoring my professors emails. For my ECON and BIO course, I have been missing classes since October 1st but have let the professors know what I have been going through. My BIO professor has been understanding and working with me. I'm waiting to hear back from my ECON professor, and I am not sure what to do at this point. I have been speaking with my mentor about this but am not sure what other resources to connect with. Is there any support you can lend to me?

If you need more help, here's a template that you can use based on the examples above. Feel free to adapt to your specific needs. Simply copy and paste it into your email (or read it into a voicemail!).

Dear CASA Coach,


My name is ___ and my CWID is___. I would like assistance with ___. What I've done so far is ___ (be as descriptive as you can).  Before emailing you, I spoke with ___ in ___ department.

I would like to (your goal) by (your due date) if possible. I can be reached at ___-___-_______ or via (myUSF username)@dons.usfca.edu.

Thank you,
___

We look forward to meeting with you, but don't hesitate to come to your meeting with as many of these points as you can. If you only have one point (or not sure where to start) that's okay too. We'll work with you to help answer these questions during drop-ins or via appointment!