Undeclared
The Undeclared College StudentCollege is all about discovering your strengths, solidifying your interests, and exploring career paths. For many college students, selecting a major is choosing a career. Majoring in nursing usually means a career in health care; majoring in accounting will probably lead to a career in a business setting. For less technical fields—mainly liberal arts areas like English, history, and political science—the relationship between major and career is less defined.
Selecting an academic major can be as important a decision as deciding which college to attend. Similar to college selection, choosing a major involves a number of factors including abilities, aptitude, interests, and values. The important thing is to keep an open mind on the subject and know that other freshmen are likewise ‘fuzzy’ about the future. According to Beverly Evans, YCP’s Assistant Dean for Career Development, “There is no crystal ball.”
Freshman Year Classes Are Very Important
Freshman year classes help you test the waters! Many first year college students have preconceived ideas about certain majors and should select introductory classes that provide a balanced overview of a discipline. General Psychology, Intro to Business, and Mass Communication are all examples of courses at York that can help with choosing a major. Additionally, the often referred to ‘core courses’ or ‘gen. ed’ (general education) classes taken the freshman year enhance critical thinking as well as oral and written communication skills. Apart from a student’s declared major, employers look at these classes and how they have contributed to a student’s overall college experience.
Know Yourself
The process of selecting a major helps a student discover who they are. This process of self-assessment comes about by asking questions whose answers can be the key to choosing an appropriate college major. Questions for the undeclared student include:
- What are your favorite classes? Why?
- What skills would you like to develop?
- What do you enjoy doing the most?
- What do you enjoy doing the least?
- What are your strengths/weaknesses?
- Do you like to work alone or in groups?
- What energizes you and makes you feel good about yourself?
- What are you interested in learning?
- What do you want to do immediately following college?
- If money were unnecessary, what would you do with your life?
The big question of what you are going to do starts early. In junior high school it’s “What do you want to be when you grow up?” and by the freshman year of college has evolved to “What’s your major?” At York College, we realize that the freshman year can be an anxious time, especially for students who have not selected a major. For the undeclared student seeking counsel and direction, York College provides both people and programs to help develop strategies.
People
The Career Services Center (CSC) offers a one-to-one approach through individual counseling. Beverly Evans, Director of the Center, encourages freshmen to visit the CSC and discuss college/career goals. Mrs. Evans may recommend a York College faculty member for additional advice in selection of a major. With few exceptions, most members of the York faculty professionally practiced what they now teach in the classroom. Accounting professors who once worked as CPAs can provide valuable insight to the tentative business major; a criminal justice professor with years of experience in forensic science is a terrific mentor for an undeclared student considering a related major; the biology professor with an impressive record of research grants would be the ideal contact for an undeclared student considering biology or pre-med studies.
Programs
FOCUS is a very special tool that can help a student select a major and plan a career. It combines the unique capabilities of the computer with thoroughly researched information about occupations, work-related values, interests, skills, educational programs, and more. FOCUS can save a student days of leafing through catalogs and career books, and because its built-in library is so large, it may well find career options you never knew existed. The “What Can I Do With A Major In…” series provides students with specific fields, employers and strategies for success related to their academic program. This series is very helpful in making the link between major and career by answering the age-old question “But what are you going to DO with a major in…after graduation?”
Additionally, York’s Career Services Center offers one-on-one appointments, resources, and events to help students with basic career planning and major selection. The Majors Fair is an annual fall event sponsored by Academic Advising, Academic Affairs and Career Services. In a drop in setting, representatives from all the academic departments are available to speak with students and provide information to guide them in their major and minor selection.
Facts About Undeclared Students
- 20-50% of all students entering college nationally have indicated they are undeclared
- Approximately 25% of York’s freshman class enter in the fall as undeclared ‘majors’
- Changing majors is a fact of college life: 75% of students nationally will change their major at least once before graduation
Key people on our campus to see if you’re coming to York College as an undeclared student or if you’re not completely certain about the major you’ve chosen:
Carol Bair, Ph.D.
Coordinator Academic Advising
Beverly Evans, M.Ed.
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs
Rebecca Link, M.S.
Registrar
Molly Sauder, M.S.
Assistant Director of Career Services
Howard Alexander, M.A.
Career Counselor
York’s greatest resource is its faculty and staff who are here to assist and counsel as you embark on four of the most important years in your life!
