Undeclared Students

 

Undecided students — we've got you!

It’s perfectly fine to enter into college unsure of your life’s plan. Most people don’t have it figured out as a young adult either. You have made a great decision to attend UNCP, where you will learn things about yourself and gain direction for your life’s plan. Though the sooner the better, there is no strict timeline for when a student must declare a major. We are here to help guide you through your path at UNCP and into your future.

Getting Started

Starting your college career as an undecided student will have its advantages. By exploring which classes you find interesting, you will gain a diverse breadth of knowledge that will look beneficial to future employers and come in handy in everyday life. This is something students with narrow focus will not gain.

Take advantage of diverse coursework by seeing what it has to offer and to which majors it is related. Get to know your professors across departments and ask them questions about their field. This will give you great indicators on whether these are majors you would like to pursue.

Don’t feel alone! Many students start their college journey unsure of what major they would like to study, and many students who have a major when starting college end up changing their minds.

View All Majors & Minors
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General Education Checklist

Pro-tip: There’s already a built-in guide for undecided students to discover what courses the university offers. It’s called a General Education Checklist.

Every UNCP student must complete the General Education Checklist, which is also a great way to learn about the classes offered here. This checklist gives undecided students the chance to explore a variety of majors in Social Sciences (Psychology, Economics, Political Science), Natural Sciences (Biology, Earth Science, Math) and the Humanities (Art, Literature, History).

Taking these classes will give students a comprehensive repertoire of various courses that will make them well-rounded individuals and give them insight into which subjects they find interesting. When interest leads to excitement and excitement leads to passion, you have found your major.

General Education Checklist
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Exploratory Guide

Not sure which path to take?

If you're still exploring your options and have no clear idea of a major, you're not alone. You might be equally open to social work, math or anything in between. Start by reflecting on your interests, using UNCP’s resources, talking with your academic success coach and trying out different classes. This guide will help you take the next steps toward discovering your purpose.

Spend some time with yourself. Ask yourself some questions. Figure out what you like to do.

Do you already have a hobby you love? Do you admire your Aunt Cathy’s job? Do you like spending time with people, or prefer not to? What aspects of life do you want to celebrate? What about the world needs to change? What sort of pages do you follow on social media? Make a like and dislike list. This is a very simple technique but could lead to a better understanding of what you would like your future career to look like.

Research online.

Find out what types of careers are available. You will likely be surprised by some possible careers. Use your likes to guide this search into possible careers.

Take diverse classes from the General Education Checklist during your first semesters.

This will help you gain some insight into what various majors look like in the classroom. This also provides you with opportunities to talk to professors in each of these disciplines.

Attend academic and career fairs.

These are great opportunities to learn about the different departments available at UNCP. You could also learn about some potential careers that you had never heard of or considered before.

Meet with your Academic Advisor as well as Undeclared Student Success Coach.

These people are important resources that can answer questions about your next steps or help you talk through the classes you have enjoyed and those that don’t interest you. *You should meet with your Academic Advisor and Undecided Student Success Coach at regular intervals during your discovery of your perfect major.

Talk to your peers.

Ask around. Find out about other students’ majors and ask them what they plan on doing after graduation. These conversations could lead to some fresh ideas in your discovery of the right major for you.

Meet with a counselor from the Career Center.

These are great people to know and can give you advice on possible careers. They have interest inventories that can give you some guidance into what majors could be a good fit for you. They can also help you discover cool internships that help you further explore a field.

Take classes in the few areas you are interested in.

It is likely that these classes may count as electives toward either of the majors you eventually choose if they are in a similar field. However, check with your academic advisor to see if this is true. Taking more classes and gaining more experience will help you determine which major seems to be a better fit for you.

Do more research.

Figure out which careers are more in line with a chemistry degree than a biology degree, though you may likely be able to obtain a similar career with majors in a similar field. This may guide you into which major seems more exciting or in line with your potential future career.

Find an internship or a job shadowing opportunity.

If you think you may be settling into a major, try to find an internship or a job shadowing opportunity. This will hopefully help solidify your choice of a major, or show you that it’s not quite the right path for you. Either way, you’ve gained some useful knowledge and experience. *Career Center will be able to help you with this.

Spend some time with yourself. Ask yourself some questions. Figure out what you like to do.

Do you already have a hobby you love? Do you admire your Aunt Cathy’s job? Do you like spending time with people, or prefer not to? What aspects of life do you want to celebrate? What about the world needs to change? What sort of pages do you follow on social media? Make a like and dislike list. This is a very simple technique but could lead to a better understanding of what you would like your future career to look like.

Research online.

Find out what types of careers are available. You will likely be surprised by some possible careers. Use your likes to guide this search into possible careers.

Take diverse classes from the General Education Checklist during your first semesters.

This will help you gain some insight into what various majors look like in the classroom. This also provides you with opportunities to talk to professors in each of these disciplines.

Attend academic and career fairs.

These are great opportunities to learn about the different departments available at UNCP. You could also learn about some potential careers that you had never heard of or considered before.

Meet with your Academic Advisor as well as Undeclared Student Success Coach.

These people are important resources that can answer questions about your next steps or help you talk through the classes you have enjoyed and those that don’t interest you. *You should meet with your Academic Advisor and Undecided Student Success Coach at regular intervals during your discovery of your perfect major.

Talk to your peers.

Ask around. Find out about other students’ majors and ask them what they plan on doing after graduation. These conversations could lead to some fresh ideas in your discovery of the right major for you.

Meet with a counselor from the Career Center.

These are great people to know and can give you advice on possible careers. They have interest inventories that can give you some guidance into what majors could be a good fit for you. They can also help you discover cool internships that help you further explore a field.

Take classes in the few areas you are interested in.

It is likely that these classes may count as electives toward either of the majors you eventually choose if they are in a similar field. However, check with your academic advisor to see if this is true. Taking more classes and gaining more experience will help you determine which major seems to be a better fit for you.

Do more research.

Figure out which careers are more in line with a chemistry degree than a biology degree, though you may likely be able to obtain a similar career with majors in a similar field. This may guide you into which major seems more exciting or in line with your potential future career.

Find an internship or a job shadowing opportunity.

If you think you may be settling into a major, try to find an internship or a job shadowing opportunity. This will hopefully help solidify your choice of a major, or show you that it’s not quite the right path for you. Either way, you’ve gained some useful knowledge and experience. *Career Center will be able to help you with this.

Resources

The Center for Student Success (CSS) exists to ensure (You guessed it!) student success! Take advantage of their resources such as tutoring programs, the Writing Center and advising. Visit CSS to see all they have to offer.

The Career Center wants to prepare UNCP students for amazing careers, but they also have many resources to help students explore majors offered at UNCP and possible careers. Visit the Career Center to see all they have to offer. Even after you decide on a major, the Career Center can help you review your résumé, prepare for job interviews and find employment or an internship.

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