The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how college students described their experiences with academic advising as it pertained to cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence at a community college in Southern California. Cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence are elements of the community of inquiry (CoI) and was the theoretical foundation that guided this study. Three research questions addressed how college students described their experiences with academic advising as it pertained to cognitive presence (RQ1), social presence (RQ2), and teaching presence (RQ3). These elements of community of inquiry were examined in the context of academic advising as a learning environment. Two sources of data included semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire. A purposive sample of 25 community college students participated this study. Interviews were with six students advised by academic advisors and eight students advised by academic counselors. Questionnaires were completed by 11 students who had advising from both academic counselors and advisors. A thematic analysis of the data revealed eight themes: relevant exchange of information, academic planning, asking questions, welcoming, open and effective communication, encouraging and supportive, direct instruction and focused and defined discussion topics. Study findings showed how cognitive presence, social presence, and teaching presence are present in academic advising and that they equally contributed to a student's meaningful learning experience. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]