Looking back at the Academic Advisor Skills Competition

A Google search for the phrase "Academic Advisor Professional Competition" on May 26, 2011, yielded 196 results, all linked to the address of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Vietnam National University, Hanoi. This is evidence that such a competition was held for the first time, with the final round taking place on the evening of May 18, 2011.The Academic Advising Skills Competition has just concluded, marking 63 days and nights filled with a wide range of emotions that perhaps only those truly involved can fully understand. We can affirm that the competition has had a significant impact on the university's training activities, not only at the management level but also on the large faculty and students. Launched in March 2011, with the motto "Accompanying - Responsible - Creative," the university hopes that from awareness to action, the faculty and students of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities in academic advising in particular and in university training in general will always shine with that spirit. It is called "Accompanying" because academic advising is vastly different from the previous role of homeroom teacher in its core philosophy.We must shift from an administrative, managerial, and commanding mindset in the relationship between homeroom teachers and students to a mindset of sharing, guidance, counseling, and support between homeroom teachers and students.This represents a significant shift, and looking back over the past four years, there are still many "gaps" that need to be filled. It's a matter of "responsibility" because academic counseling in the context of the credit-based training transition in the early years is a major challenge, primarily for students. Leaving high school, students haven't had time to adapt to a new living environment and a new social environment before they must quickly and extensively adapt to a new learning environment. The quick wit and creativity of young people in this case may sometimes be hampered by the "matrix" of training parameters, regulations, and activities requiring a certain level of digitalization for new students. Therefore, it would be fortunate for students if their academic counselors were not only knowledgeable and skilled but also responsible. It's also a matter of "creativity" because credit-based training is still new, and the way we are currently doing academic counseling seems different from international practices. This context demands creativity within the existing conditions to perform the task, and at the same time, it will create new conditions. Naturally, most people would agree that if actions are responsible and highly accountable, they will inevitably be accompanied by creative actions. Without creativity, we cannot discover true values. Based on this understanding, the competition was organized to awaken the spirit of responsibility and creative thinking of the units and academic advisors. Through the entries, a series of problems and solutions were raised, truly providing valuable material for us to reflect on this crucial work during the four years of credit-based university education at our school. Also in this "unprecedented" competition, the school invited student representatives to participate in the judging panel. This is not only a way for us to show respect and listen to students' opinions, but also reflects the university's expectation that students themselves will play a leading role in improving academic advising and training. For over two months, alongside the academic advising competition, there has been a competition specifically for students with the theme "Asking questions and posing scenarios for academic advisors." Through the content of the entries, the university clearly sees the high demand from students for more effort from the academic advising team, but also recognizes areas where students' understanding of the role and responsibilities of academic advisors still needs improvement. In conclusion, 16 students were awarded prizes for their insightful and heartfelt submissions. The university immediately recognized from the winning entries that there are immediate actions needed and areas requiring significant investment to improve the quality of academic advising. That is the greatest value that the competition organized by the students has brought.