The McDonaldization of Advising

George Ritzer in his McDonaldization of Society addresses four basic and alluring dimensions of modern life: efficiency, predictability, quantifiable and calculated service, and control (Ritzer, 1993). With increasing and alarming frequency, academic advising in many commuter colleges has adopted the McDonaldization mindset. This is not a surprising evolvement given students' limited time on campus and the high percentages of nontraditional students who, while attending college, are often holding jobs and supporting families. Chesterfield-Marlboro Technical College adopted the McDonaldization mindset as they sought to make the advising process quick and efficient. In academic advising, however, faster is not always better.