Undeclared Students
As an undeclared student, your possibilities are open, vast, and flexible. The active exploring you do with your advisor will be a rewarding part of your college experience.
A Mindful, Gradual Transition
Many students know they are ready to attend college, but aren’t ready to choose an academic major. About 20-25% of each first-year class at SUNY Plattsburgh enter as undeclared majors. (And about half of your peers who are declared will change their major at least once while they are in college!)
As an undeclared major, you receive one-on-one assistance from a professional advisor in the academic advising office or your special program. We encourage you to get to know your advisor, respond to invitations for advising appointments, and seek help from your advisor when you have a question or concern. By committing a short amount of your time, the return on your investment is:
- A Successful Transition — a well-rounded sense of how to “do college” successfully, in both academic and personal adjustment matters;
- Know-how — a full understanding of how course advisement, course selection, and registration work; and
- Major Selection — a more seamless process of transitioning into a major of good fit, while staying in step for on-time graduation.
Being undeclared can and should be a very positive experience. Through self-exploration, and while you settle into college, you have the chance work with your advisor to uncover where your real interests live. Sometimes that discovery happens fairly quickly, and for other students it takes some work and time before the “ah-ha!” happens. But it always happens!
Your Professional Academic Advisor
Before the semester begins, and even more after you start school, your advisor will be in touch with you regularly, inviting you to meet for important conversations. Your response to these invitations is essential, as your advisor will do the following:
- Get to Know You — We ask about how you are settling in, and what your unique likes, interests, and academic values are, as well as what inspires you and is important to you. What is central to you is the single greatest factor in assembling courses, a major, and extracurricular activities that suit you.
- Assess Your Current Level of Indecision — All undeclared students are not the same; you may range anywhere from having a solid idea of one major to feeling all over the place without direction, and anywhere in between. Knowing this allows us to start you off on the most effective major exploration process for you.
- Guide and Assist You — In a new place, there’s a lot to learn! We will help you to understand your degree requirements, make appropriate course selections, know how to use your Degree Works audit report — overall teaching you how to keep track of your timely progress toward a degree.
- Promote Academic Excellence — We take great interest in ensuring you are developing excellent academic habits and strategies, that you know where to find other campus resources essential to your success here, and respond to concerns and difficulties you may be having about courses or college.