Undecided students who self-identify as uncertain of their academic path represent a unique population to support from an academic advising perspective. In a sample of 257,813 students who entered 243 four-year institutions nationally, this study examined the relationship between students who selected undecided as their intended college major and…

Six sophomore students who had entered a public midwestern university as undeclared participated in the study. The advisors used a modified form of appreciative advising designed to assist first-year exploratory students. The study was conducted using grounded theory techniques, a phenomenological perspective, and semi-structured interviews. At…

We analyzed the impact of a self-assessment instrument on the self-efficacy of those deciding on majors in a university setting. Using a pre- and post-test methodology, we employed "Career Cruising" to measure career decision-making self-efficacy. Participants completed the "Career Decision Self-Efficacy-Short Form" (CDSE-SF)…

In this study, we sought to determine whether psychosocial development and self-efficacy of major changers differ from those classified as relatively stable. Participants completed the "Life-Skills Inventory-College" (Picklesimer, 1991) form to measure psychosocial development and the "General Self-efficacy" (Schwarzer &…

Foreclosure students have prematurely committed themselves to academic majors and future careers, but present themselves to academic advisors as very decided. From a developmental theory perspective, foreclosures represent an immature identity status and include students whose failure to explore their personal and vocational identities and achieve…

In this qualitative study, we investigated the academic major and career decision-making processes of honors college students who were declared as "exploratory" students in their freshman year at a large, public, midwestern university. We used semistandardized interviews and document analysis as primary data collection methods to answer…

Presents a user-friendly seven-step model for the career decision process and discusses how advisors can use it to help students make career and academic choices. Offers practical guidelines for discussions between advisors and advisees. (SLD)

College students who change majors often drift without recognition or advising. University College at Ohio State University has established an innovative program to help these students identify, explore, and decide on alternative educational and career directions. Components include individual and group advising, a course in academic alternatives,…

The American College Testing Program (ACT) aims to provide programs and services that assist students in informed educational and career decision making. A variety of ACT programs and services are described, including ACT Asset and Discover. (Author/MLW)

The effect that scores on a career-maturity scale and college experience have on the change of major status of four groups of college students was examined. The dependent variable was academic success measured by cumulative grade point average over a two-year period and change of major status. (MLW)

Describes a scheme for advising college students undecided about major or career choice: an active, time-limited method using students' self-descriptions instead of lists of curricula as the starting point for dialog that points students in the right direction. Outlines specific procedures and provides several case descriptions illustrating the…

The search model and compromise model currently dominate thinking about career development. One assumes that individuals form occupational personalities that are the basis for occupational selection; the other considers career choice a lifelong integration of experiences with environmental barriers. These can help the academic advisor guide…

A career counseling program integrated into an academic advising office is described. A major tool used is a Career Decision Kit designed to make the student more aware of career needs and relate them to the options available. Career counseling specialists work together with faculty academic advisors to counsel students for overall planning. (MSE)

As enrollments in engineering programs soar, many schools have been forced to control enrollment, resulting in a large population of pre-engineering majors. To aid in the understanding and advising of these majors, student profiles reflecting motivation patterns are presented. (MLW)

The extent to which students in preprofessional programs used academic resources to assist them in making decisions about a change of major or college was studied. Undergraduates who changed majors were expected to rely primarily on the University Bulletin for program information. (MLW)