As everyone has learned from earlier posts, Letter and Sciences' students actually break down into several different groups including "Undecided," "Undeclared," "Non-Degree Seeking" (students who already have BA degrees and may be trying to get entry into medical school, for example, by taking a few extra courses), "Golden ID" (retired community members who can take a course for free during the semester), and "High School Concurrent" students (high school students who are exceptionally bright and are allowed to take one course at Maryland while still attending high school).
In particular, I want to discuss "Undeclared and Undecided" students in this blog. These are the bulk of our advising caseload students in any given semester.
"Undeclared" students are those that have a particular "Limited Enrollment Program" (LEP) in mind; they have already decided on a major, so it's just a matter of earning access to the major, thus making them "undeclared."
What is an LEP?
LEPs are competitive majors at the University of Maryland that control enrollment numbers to maintain program quality. Once a student has earned 45 credits, he/she must have successfully completed a specific set of courses called "gateway" requirements in order to enter one of the programs. See my earlier blog for more specifics:What is a Limited Enrollment Program?
DECLARE or NOT DECLARE? Students who have met all the prerequisite course and GPA requirements are asked to declare their chosen LEP major as soon as possible and by all deadlines set by the Admissions Office or those of the major department themselves.
All students MUST declare a major at Maryland before they reach their 60th credit. If a student fails to declare his or her major before the end of his or her sophomore year (year 2), they will be blocked from making any changes to their upcoming registration--or be blocked from registering at all until they have declared a major. Students who seek a Limited Enrollment Program are constantly reminded to have an "alternative" or "parallel," non-LEP major in mind at all times in the event they do not gain entry into their first choice. Many students remain stubborn at looking beyond their primary major choice; but, if that choice is an LEP, LTSC advisors will insist students have an alternative major in mind.
"Undecided" All of this bring me to my main concern of this post...the "undecided" student. Students in LTSC who are truly undecided in their majors need to make efforts on several fronts during their freshman and sophomore years.
A. They should use CORE (General Education) requirements to "explore" different majors and/or course material. In a perfect world, a student could continue doing this until he or she finally decided which major was a best fit for him or her. However, the University, advisors, parents, the State of Maryland and students themselves all want students to graduate in four years, whenever possible. Obviously, there are big financial and personal issues attached to this goal. The institution has no desire to keep students in school longer than necessary, as seats in courses and rooms in housing are always issues. It's of utmost interest of all concerned to have students graduate in a timely fashion. The hard truth of the matter is that CORE exploration is only valid for a small bit of time, and students must do much more than just explore classes in making their "major" choice. This is just one piece of the puzzle.
B. LTSC requires that all students complete an "Exploration Exercise" each semester they are not declared, especially when they are undecided in their major. From everything we know about these students (remember Millennial students?), and even among their many, many strengths, they can sometimes be horrible decision makers. Only by gathering as much information as possible can students finally feel comfortable at making a decision in regard to major. For this reason, LTSC asks that students seek out that information on their own. This means navigating the campus, collating vast pieces of information and working with their advisor to arrive at a final decision. From taking certain 1-credit courses, to visiting professors, to seeking help from the Counseling Center, to visiting the Career Center, students are completely responsible for making connections on campus, gathering information, and speaking to their advisor about what they've found. This is a huge developmental step for our students, and we work hard to make sure that even when it seems difficult, they reach out for more information!
C. Continue seeing their advisors on a regular basis. Advisors are non biased advocates for students; we're also great listeners and can often reflect back to a student what they've begun piecing together on their search. What do advisors do? Advisors know the ropes. They can explain how academic policy works and how students should navigate different issues that may arise. The point students toward the resources discussed above. They help students learn strategies which will make them successful. The empower students to make wise decisions. They care enough to be honest with students, and they'll let students know when plans do not look attainable; at the same time, they'll cheer a student on who needs the extra encouragement.
DECLARE or NOT DECLARE? As a rule of thumb, I ask my students if they are 51% sure about a major. If they say yes, and it's a non-LEP major they have in mind, I usually ask them to make the leap and declare the major. This process is typically started by visiting the departmental advisor in the major a student has interest. (It may start with attending a "Change of Major" program in the chosen field. Each department is different and students just have to explore which majors do what in terms of declaration.) I feel it's important for students to declare earlier rather than later because (1) they'll have an academic "home" of sorts, (2) they'll be in contact with an advisor who is an expert at all the years in the major (remember, LTSC advisors are good for about the first two years in any major), and finally (3) students will have a sense of having made a choice and then discovering if it is a good one. In most cases, they can still change their mind later with proper planning.
If it's a non-LEP, I think students should take a CORE course in that major and then go for it, declaring as soon as they can. If it's an LEP major, then the process takes a bit longer...but, again, students should always be ready with alternative...just in case!
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