Advising Undecided Students

1. Advising Undecided Students Maura Reynolds Director of Academic Advising Hope College Holland, Michigan August 2011 NACADA Summer Institute, New Orleans

2. With Thanks Special thanks to NACADA colleagues Rich Robbins, Eric White, Ruth Darling, Betsy McCalla-Wriggins, Alice Reinarz, Peggy King, Jen Hazel, & Casey Self for collaboration in preparation of these materials. And SPECIAL SPECIAL thanks to Jennifer Joslin.

3. From Virginia Gordon “Overall, the research on undecided students, while voluminous, has yielded little in characterizing this heterogeneous group in specific terms.”

4. More food for thought from Virginia Gordon “We view undecided students not as persons searching for an academic or career niche, but as individuals continually engaging in a series of developmental tasks that ultimately enables them to adapt and change in a pluralistic world.”

5. Undecided Students: Who are they? Students unwilling, unable, or unready to make educational and/or vocational choices. Students who enter college with a tentative decision that changes. Students rejected from a selective or oversubscribed program

6. Who are they (cont.): • High achieving students who are weighing many different options • Undecided students span all populations • High ability • Student athletes • Adult students • Underprepared • Community college students • Upper division students • Caution: Indecisive versus Undecided

7. Why Undecided: Informational Reasons Lack of information (knowledge of personal strengths & limitations, interests, values) Lack of information about majors or disciplines Lack of information about occupations/careers

8. Why?: DevelopmentalReasons Lack of knowledge of decision-making process and/or inability to make a decision Lack of vocational maturity Lack of a vocational identity

9. Why?: Personal/Social Concerns Values – goal conflict Interest – ability conflict Conflict with opinions of others – family, teachers, mentors

10. Why?: Other Reasons Afraid to commit to a decision Don’t feel pressure to decide Apathetic Original choice no longer viable or thwarted Diverse skills and talents make decision-making difficult.

11. It’s Okay to be Undecided • Most students, even those who declare a major, enter college unsure about their major or career • Being undecided is not a problem but an opportunity • Opportunity to take courses that will count toward graduation while exploring different majors/careers • Opportunity to gather information • Opportunity to participate in self-exploration

12. Myths of Being Undecided “I am the only one who doesn’t know what I want to study.” “I will waste time & money and lose credits if I’m undecided.” “I need to declare a major my first semester.” “I have to be a declared major to have an academic advisor.” “I will eventually just figure out what I want to study.” “Since I don’t know my major, I’ll just get gen eds out of the way first.”

13. The “MAJOR” Myths “Majors directly relate to careers.” “A college degree alone will prepare me for my career.” “I will stay in my career/job for the rest of my working life.” “Declaring one major means giving up the others I’ve been considering.” “I’ll know what major to declare by taking classes in that subject.”

14. Advisor Attitudes • Create feeling of mutual responsibility for the students’ academic and decision-making process (partnership) • Intrusive • Empathetic • Supportive

15. Advisor Knowledge Some knowledge of student/ adult development theory A generalist’s knowledge of academic programs on campus Some knowledge of career planning Knowledge of campus resources Knowledge of the decision-making process

16. Why Theory? • To understand developmental challenges facing college students • To increase knowledge of factors contributing to development • To assist in designing approaches to facilitate student growth and learning • (Evans, Forney, Guido-DiBrito,1998)

17. Diversity: Additional Theories to Consider • Racial and ethnic identity • Cross (1991), Helms (1993), Tatum (1992) • Gay, lesbian, & bisexual identity development • Cass (1984), Fassinger (1998), Forest (2006) • First Generation • Ayala (2002) • “Non-traditional”

18. Advising Strategies for Undecided Students Be accessible Develop a trusting, compatible and continuous relationship Use the first-year seminar

19. Strategies (cont.) Understand the reasons for the undecidedness Identify possible debilitating personal concerns Provide accurate & relevant information Help students identify realistic alternatives

20. Advising Interventions/Tools Interest inventories Computer career guidance systems MBTI StrengthsQuest Internet resources

21. An Advising Model for Undecided Students • Help students analyze their situation • Help students organize a plan for exploring • Help students integrate information • Support students while they make decisions • Help student initiate an action plan • Encourage future contact

22. The Student Process: Getting Started • Gather information about themselves; available majors; possible careers; & the world of work • Self-information: interests, hobbies, activities, courses; what is important to them; solitary/group activities; indoor/outdoor activities; sports/cultural; abilities;

23. Getting Started (cont.) Gather information about themselves; majors; careers; & the world of work • Available majors: required courses; pre-requisites for the program; time to degree; ability to handle coursework; jobs available • Careers: what major leads where; what is the job outlook; what are the opportunities for advancement or change

24. Getting Started (cont.) Gather information about themselves; majors; careers; & the world of work • The world of work - important skills: Ability to work well with others, flexibility and adaptability, analytical reasoning and problem-solving skills, understanding of diversity, broad perspective, think and work independently, leadership skills, moral and ethical reasoning skills, strong verbal and communication skills, time management skills

25. Using Campus Resources Effectively Academic advisor Career Services Office/Center; courses Counseling Center Major department Special events/extracurricular activities Internships, volunteer work experience, job shadowing, service learning

26. Pulling it all Together • Once students have collected all the information, they need to process it and narrow their choices based on (but not limited to) the following: • Skills needed • Length of education and training • Starting salary • Competitiveness of major • Job outlook • Grad school opportunities • Career opportunities • Other pros and cons

27. Other Points to Consider • Eliminate choices that don’t fit with interests, values, goals • Careers and majors are not the same thing • Employers hire people with skills and the ability to learn • Choosing or changing a major takes time and careful consideration • The biggest limitations are often those students place on themselves

28. NACADA Commission on Undecided and Exploratory Students Mission: to promote the advancement and improvement of academic advising of undecided and exploratory college students through the greater dissemination of resources and research pertinent to this educational endeavor. http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Commissions/C13/index.htm