Proactive Advising: An Ethics in Action Case Example

Abstract

A student is meeting with their advisor to talk about their goal of attending medical school. In discussing how they might prepare for medical school, the student shares that they are planning to pursue a medical mission trip abroad because they “have always loved traveling” and it would be a great way to help “really poor people” at the same time. The advisor is concerned by the limited lens by which the student is viewing the community he would be serving, and feels obligated to begin a conversation about their concerns. On the other hand, the student is only in their first year of college, so there is plenty of time for things to change before the student actually would need to apply. Should the advisor start a very difficult conversation, or just assume that the student will gain perspective as he moves throughout his college career?