Navigating Major Changes in University Education
Supporting students through major changes in university education, University Exploration at Ohio State University provides guidance and resources for those re-evaluating their academic paths. With a range of majors available, students can explore options before committing, aiming for successful graduation rates through tailored support programs.
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BREAKING UP IS HARD TO DO What to do when students realize their major isn t The One Amy Treboni Director Treboni.6@osu.edu
THE BACHELORS DEGREE Before you are over 200 eligible majors You have in your possession 12 red roses. In the next 2 minutes your task is to give your 12 roses way to the majors you find the most attractive at this time
University Exploration is an academic, non degree granting unit housed in Undergraduate Education at Ohio State University WHAT IS UNIVERSITY EXPLORATION We have a bouquet of outstanding services to help students flourish during their first years at Ohio State. Our program has been designed to provide students with a structured, guided and developmentally appropriate experience when choosing a major We have 10 full time advisors who fulfill other responsibilities as assigned (ie. working with special populations)
Those who want to learn about the 200 majors offered before committing to one WHO ARE OUR STUDENTS Those who have narrowed their choices to just a few but want time to confirm their decision Those who have chosen a major but need to fulfill the entrance requirements Those who started in one major and are re-deciding whether by choice or program dismissal
The number of freshmen starting in EXP has ranged from 10% to 15% or more of the incoming class for the past several years. 2511 of the 2014 NFYS enrolled cohort changed majors or sub-plans at some point between the time they applied to OSU and when they left orientation. RE-DECIDING: BY THE NUMBERS Over 60% of EXP s NFYS cohort from Autumn 2014 had a 3.0 or higher GPA in their first term of enrollment. EXP first year retention rates continue to increase (93.4%), despite a slight drop in first year retention institutionally in Autumn 2012. 410 students moved into our unit from other majors during the 2013-2014 academic year
EXP four and six year graduation rates are near equal to university averages for students who START their OSU career in EXP. LONG RANGE Students who start elsewhere and move to EXP later have lower graduation rates as much as 25% under the university s averages. We even have a small number of students who start in EXP and graduate in under 4 years from each cohort.
EXP students are admitted into all major programs across the university* and have graduated in all disciplines. LONG RANGE Just under half of our students go to majors in areas within Arts and Sciences, while the others are spread across the university. Less than 2% of students who start in EXP return to EXP. About half of our students declare in the first year and the remainder declare during their second year they are limited to 3 or 4 semesters total in EXP depending on affiliations.
University Exploration has a set of 8 student learning outcomes that we assess. The SLO adhere to CAS and NACADA standards for advising and are included in your handouts. ASSESSMENT AND SUPPORT Academic Success Planning Workshop Students on probation or special action probation Participants have more significant GPA increases than non-participants Support from the Start Developing strategies for better resource referral and usage with new students Piloted AU13, collecting data with hopes of building predictive model in future Received IRB approval and a NACADA grant to conduct a research study with data collected from this initiative
THE RE-DECIDING EXPLORATION EXPERIENCE Handling the Break Up
Re-deciding by choice What led them to their initial major? Why and how have their interests changed? What did they like about previous major? What didn t they like about previous major? WHAT LED TO THE BREAK UP Program dismissed What led them to their initial major? What has been impeding their success? What is working? What isn t working? Address the Emotions
Review their academic record What classes have they chosen and why? What classes have they done well in? What classes have they struggled with? HELP THEM RECOGNIZE THEIR BEST FEATURES Help them recognize their strengths and weaknesses Do they think society doesn t value their strength (liberal arts) Are they Identity Foreclosed They highlight features they don t really like and disregard their other strengths Are external influences heavily involved Have they been exposed to other options Did someone foreclose on their identity for them
We invite students to complete Holland Code assessments. mynextmove.org & FOCUS II Simple assessment in the handouts IS THEIR PERSONALITY COMPATIBLE WITH THEIR CHOICE? We have broken down all Ohio State majors to fall into Holland Code areas. This project was a collaborative effort with Career Counseling and Support Services Could easily be replicated in an advising office with time and patience We try to help students see that the academic content in each major is individualized and unique. Marketing vs. Strategic Communication Academic Content
What do they value most about finding a new degree Time to degree Classes left v. Classes taken Ability to meet GPA/pre-requisites Career-directed/Broad-based Flexibility Job Placement/Internships Faculty contact HELP THEM FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY VALUE IN THE RELATIONSHIP What do they value in their career Work/Life balance- Nurse Prestige and earnings potential Relocation- Polar Bears Helping others Helping the environment
Fields of Study Setting Realistic Expectations Why are they re-deciding ADVISOR STRATEGIES Mechanisms to get information to a lot of people Infomercials Workshops Web/online course Know the academic content like the back of your hand General Education Major Courses Outcomes Holland Codes or your favorite Type Indicator Collaborating with Other Units
Management and Industry (65 related majors) Are you interested in managing and leading people, looking at data and numbers, analyzing or persuading consumers? META-MAJORS: BROAD FIELDS OF STUDY RATHER THAN JUST ONE OPTION Science, Technology, and Environment (61 Related Majors) Do you enjoy investigating how and why things work? Are you interested in how science is applied to everything in our lives? Education and Public Service (56 related majors) Do you enjoy teaching, training and educating others? Are you interested in working directly with people from a leadership position?
Behavior, Culture, and Context (55 related majors) Do you love learning about people, society, culture and how they intertwine? Are you interested in communication & relationships? META-MAJORS: BROAD FIELDS OF STUDY RATHER THAN JUST ONE OPTION Arts, Innovation, and Design (38 related majors) Are you excited about fine arts and performance? Do you enjoy design and having creative control of your work? Do you enjoy helping to increase awareness of the arts? Health and Human Services (63 related majors) Are you interested in science and in helping people become healthier and well in all areas of their lives? Are you fascinated by the healthcare industry on all levels? Choose Your Own Adventure Ceramics to Dentistry Public Health Sociology Arts Management
Acknowledging grief Graduate options for competitive majors COMPETITIVE V. NON COMPETITIVE Do you want to be an X or do you want to be a Buckeye The hard conversation about transferring Exposure to what can be done with a non-competitive (often non-linear) major http://exploration.osu.edu/current- students/what-can-i-do-with-a- major-in
Workshops for New Freshmen not in UEXP during first 3 months of the year Workshops for current students in beginning of spring Workshop specifically for students dismissed from competitive programs near end of Spring Carmen Course Individual Appointments OUR METHODS OF DELIVERING THE MESSAGE
Orientation presentation introduces these key theme areas Residence Hall Programming by request Programs/workshops by request for specific populations (engineering students, health science scholars) E-mail Total Operating Cost for these methods $0/minimal printing costs OUR METHODS OF DELIVERING THE MESSAGE
We are happy to talk more about any of the materials in your tool- kit and can be reached at treboni.6@osu.edu THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING OUR SESSION!
