What do you want to be when you grow up? For most of us, this question was easily answered when we were young. By the time we reached college, however, the question had become much more difficult to answer. Today, an estimated 20 to 50 percent of college students are undecided about their educational and vocational futures (Lewallen, 1995). Because of the high percentage of undecided students, academic advisers are often faced with deciding how to best meet these students' needs. Without effective support, an undecided student may never find direction and may even eventually decide to drop out of college. To raise both retention rates and student confidence, advisers must seek a successful method for assisting these undecided students.

Defining the Undecided Student

The term “undecided” most often describes students who are “unwilling, unable, or unready to make educational and/or vocational decisions” (Gordon, 1984). Students who have a fear of commitment are often unwilling to declare a major. Those who are unable to make a sound decision often lack information in the following three areas (Gordon, 1984):

  1. Personal Characteristics. The student has yet to assess his/her own goals, interests, and abilities.
  2. Available Academic Areas. The student is unaware of accessible programs or needs assistance evaluating these programs.
  3. Occupational Areas. The student has yet to explore the job market.

The student who is unready to declare a major may lack skills in decision making. No matter the cause of their uncertainty, undecided students must receive assistance to overcome these obstacles. The following section introduces three different advising methods that are designed to help undecided students decide on a major.

Previous Research on Advising Undecided Students

Student-Centered Approach

Schein and Laff (1997) propose that students must be responsible for constructing their own college experience. They believe that the constructs of a major prevent students from creatively constructing an individual academic pathway. Therefore, they propose that undecided students should disregard these arbitrary boundaries during the initial stage of the decision-making process. Instead of focusing on the curricula, the adviser should place the student at the center of the academic planning.

This pragmatic, student-centered approach is accomplished through the use of personal profiles. It is the student's responsibility to thoughtfully consider his/her strengths and weaknesses without the assistance of an adviser. Upon completion, the student meets with an adviser to discuss the profile. Based on the responses, the adviser identifies courses and non-credit experiences that match the student's interests. With knowledge of the campus curricula, the adviser determines the major(s) into which these courses best fit. Various appealing options are created for the undecided student, making the decision-making process less demanding for the student. Ultimately, this method allows the student and adviser to creatively construct a desirable academic pathway.

Personal Approach

An alternative approach for advising undecided students challenges beliefs that advisers are problem solvers. In this irrational method, Bertram (1996) emphasizes the importance of the decision-making process, which relies largely on the personal interaction between the adviser and the student. He challenges advisers to dig deep into the student, discovering his/her true concerns. To further the self-exploration process, the adviser is encouraged to ask questions, allowing the student to think more critically about the decisions at hand. In addition, Bertram (1996) believes that informal student contact is essential for effective advising. Fostering a relationship with a student outside of the formal setting allows the adviser to find those “true teachable moments” (Bertram, 1996, p. 23). Ideally, this method provides the opportunity for advisers to positively impact a student so that he/she will be more willing to jointly explore the educational possibilities.

Group Approach

On the whole, undecided students are searching for a sense of identity. Horning (1991) proposes that this identity is best established in a group setting. Her advising model is based on a research course that allows students to become more self-aware through the writing process. Because the adviser is not the instructor of the course, frequent communication between the professor and the adviser is essential for effective support.

The two components of the course are self-exploration and career exploration. To discover more about themselves, students write an essay that focuses on the reasons behind their indecision. They also complete standardized self-assessments that provide feedback on how their personal preferences may influence their career choices. Students' career knowledge is enhanced through a research project in which they explore various professions of interest. Whether or not the student finds a suitable choice, he/she learns strategies to effectively explore the options. Ultimately, this course allows the student to become more comfortable through an established group identity and enhanced self-knowledge.

Combining Methods to Create a Solution

Although the presented advising approaches provide helpful information for advisers, no one model completely meets the needs of undecided students. There is obviously an underlying theme of self-exploration among the three models. However, each method introduces an individual theme: focusing on the student, establishing positive relationships, and creating group support. Because each of these ideas is important to the advising process of undecided students, I would propose a new method that incorporates the best of each of the earlier methods.

A recent trend in higher education has been the promotion of courses that focus on the first-year college experience. According to Wilgoren (1999), these classes work to build self-esteem and motivate students for academic success. Therefore, why not establish a first-year course specifically for undecided students? Like Horning's research class, this course would provide a place in which students could talk about their problems and form a community with their undecided peers. To make the class more effective, the adviser would be the instructor. A group advising approach such as this has many advantages. Gordon (1984) recognizes the time efficiency of providing information to a small group of individuals. The adviser is able to assist many students in areas of self-assessment, career exploration, curricula knowledge, and decision making.

This type of course is not completely original. Many universities offer opportunities for advisers to mentor their students in a classroom setting. The College of Applied Life Studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has altered the institution's first-year program, providing this beneficial experience for advisers and their students. Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis uses a Learning Community program to focus on intrusive advising through collaborative instruction. Still, none of these programs are designed specifically for undecided students. The goal of my proposal is to provide these same useful advising tactics to those students who have yet to determine their educational futures.

The relationships established through this course would provide tremendous support for undecided students. The informal adviser/advisee contact emphasized by Bertram would become a weekly occurrence. Witnessing firsthand the students' classroom habits would allow the adviser to better determine their interests, strengths, and weaknesses. Students would become more comfortable with their adviser, creating a more valuable advising experience for everyone involved.

he course content would be centered on the students. Like the personal profile initiated by Schein and Laff, a course journal would be used to document each student's self-assessment. Through presentation, discussion, research, and writing, the students would explore their educational opportunities. Rather than focus on the outcome, the actual decision-making process would be emphasized to the students. Ultimately, the content of this course would effectively guide each individual through the initial stages of his/her indecision.

The first-year experience movement aims to cultivate a sense of citizenship in universities (Wilgoren, 1999). A course such as this would allow undecided students to find that sense of belonging in the midst of their uncertainty. This large population of students would realize that they are not alone in their indecision, hesitation, and anxiety. This realization would be beneficial in creating more confident and determined college students. NACADA's Commission for Undecided and Exploratory Students emphasizes the importance of trying new approaches to meet the unique needs of each student. This course would allow the advisers to be flexible and cater to the needs of the individual. Ultimately, the positive relationships would foster effective self-exploration, which is the essential starting point for undecided students.