01/14/14 06:00 PM - 01/14/14 07:00 PM

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1 Selecting a Major for Students and Families 01/14/14 06:00 PM - 01/14/14 07:00 PM Message fsuchat(fsu Staff Kari): Good evening everyone! If you give our moderators a few minutes to log in, we will get started! Sarah1994: AT WHAT POINT DURING THEIR FRESHMAN YEAR DO YOUR RECOMMEND THEY SERIOUSLY SHOULD Sarah1994: THEY CHOOSE THEIR MAJOR? fsuchat(fsu Staff Kari): If you bear with us, we are having some technical issues getting our moderators logged in. crabbs4: Good evening - Sarah I love your wording "seriously" - how many times can one change their major :) fsuchat(fsu Staff Kari): Sarah1994, did you come in as an exploratory major? Sarah1994: YES klazerbeam@gmail.com: Does a student have to maintain a certain GPA to graduate in his/her declared major? FSUOL_Sydney: you can change your major as many as you like as long as you are keeping up with the amount of credits you are accumulating and are staying on map. Most students change their majors Freshmen and Sophomore year FSUOL_Sydney: klazerbeam - every department has different requirements - I am pretty sure that most colleges at least maintain a 2.0 GPA and some have more rigid guidelines. You will need to do some research on the individual major you are considering. FSU_Moderator_Pierre : Good evening future students and parents! My name is Inika Pierre and I am a representative from the Florida State University Career Center! I am here to answer any questions regarding choosing a major or any other concerns you all might have. Looking forward to the discussion! klazerbeam@gmail.com: where does a student go to get help in deciding what major suites them best? fsuchat(fsu Staff Kari): In addition to Inika, we also have FSUOL_Sydney, who is an orientation leader and current student here, as well as katpham, who is a member of our Family Connection Advisory Council here to answer questions! katpham: I am here as an FSU parent--if there are any issues that I can help with I am happy to give the parent perspective. FSU_Moderator_Pierre : The Career Center located across the way from the Wellness Center is a great place to speak to an advisor regarding choosing a major. valkennedy1021: If you are a freshman and currently an exploratory major, what is the process once you decide you want to declare a major? You will be required to apply to the program of your interest. suebp9: My son is in his second semester, he came in with 42 credits, took 12 in the fall and is signed up for 18 now. He will be considered a junior in May and really has know idea what to major in...he is so unsure that he feels his only alternative might be to take some time off. I think heneeds to seek more help there. Does hejustwalk into the career center and say I need help?

2 crabbs4: Is there a listing of majors within schools? My son originally picked a major in the business school and is now looking at another major in the college because of the 2.75 GPA requirement at business school FSU_Moderator_Pierre : Crabbs4: FSUOL_Sydney: klazerbeam - if you are a freshman, FSU has a great program for students unsure of what major to choose called the exploratory major. They work with students to help select classes suited to their interests and guide them on a good path to a major that works best for them katpham: My son found the Career Center very helpful--early on to help with career decisions, and later on for assistance with resume writing and job interview skills. klazerbeam@gmail.com: My son is a junior with a disability. He has not done well in the classes in his declared major. FSU_Moderator_Pierre : The academic guide gives plenty of information about the prerequisite coursework, program requirements, and other great information. crabbs4: This exploratory major - can you "start" it your sophomore year? Glad to hear the advisors were able to adequately assist him with his career needs! :) KJ4QWM: Do you know of any online assessment-type tests in order to help one select a major? FSUOL_Sydney: crabbs4 - I believe you can be an exploratory major up to a certain amount of credits before they start pushing you to choose a degree crabbs4: thanks FSU_Moderator_Pierre : KJ4QWM: A free tool you can utilize is Florida Choices: style="color: rgb(0, 102, 33); f FSU_Moderator_Pierre : ohiomom: Does anyone know what percent of freshmen change their majors their first year? FSUOL_Sydney: klazerbeam - everytime I have struggled with tough decisions regarding my major I have always felt comfortable speaking with the academic advisor of the current major. All of the advisors on campus are well trained in most of the different programs and can give some very good advice based off of a short but honest conversation. fsuchat(fsu Staff Kari): If you are currently an exploratory major, I really encourage you to have good conversations and keep in touch with your advisor. This is the person who will be really able to help you navigate the major declaration process. If you are interested in exploring interests and options, the career center is a great place to go. FSU_Moderator_Pierre : There is also SIGI, which is available at the FSU Career Center. We also offer some take home assessments as well. For time being, FL Choices would be ideal and you can use it from home. KJ4QWM: Pierre-Thanks! crabbs4: SIGI? Career Finder is a great tool. The university has purchased a subscription so students can utilize it for free. But is free and available to anyone and anywhere. Sarah1994: MY DAUGHTER IS LEANING TOWARD FINANCE,BUSINESS,ECONOMICS,ACCOUNTING, WITH THAT Sarah1994: IN MIND SHOULD SHE BE APPLING TO THE BUSINESS SCHOOL?

3 FSUOL_Sydney: Sarah what year is your daughter? Sarah1994: FRESHMAN crabbs4: Thank you - I think I better send my son in before this semester's course work gets heavier - when do they regsiter for classes and when does calendar come out? Sarah that is where those majors are - need to have a 2.9 which is higher than a B- (2.75) Sarah1994: SHE HAS A 3.80 GPA NOW crabbs4: She should definitely get in!! FSUOL_Sydney: Sarah - when your declares a major in the business school, it will automatically enroll her in the college on the track to be a business major, which will be in the college of business without a specified major. When she meets all of the pre-requisites, and 62 credits, she will be accepted in automatically as long as she is on her current map. Sarah1994: OK THANK YOU DOES SHE NEED TO HEAD TO CAREER CENTER OR MEET WITH HER HONORS ADVISOR TO APPLY? FSUOL_Sydney: Sarah - also keep in mind that Economics is a major in the College of Social Sciences FSUOL_Sydney: Sarah - she will need to go to the advisors in the College of Business. Sarah1994: OK THANK YOU! FSU_Moderator_Pierre : What other questions do you all have for us today? suebp9: My son is in the "exploratory major" and I am not aware that he has gotten much help...he may not have sought it out either...where can I point him to go for help? I know he has met with an advisor and he likes him but I don't think they have gotten very far down the road...he is in the honors program. Does he have an honors advisor, an exploratory advisor? When I look at his account is says 'no advisor assigned'. FSUOL_Sydney: Crabbs - if you go to registrar.fsu.edu you can view all of the different registration windows. Students register for classes on different days based on the amount of credits they have. On that website is also access to full academic and extended calendars with the dates you are looking for. valkennedy1021: If my daughter is exploratory now, and considering a psychology major, when it comes time to register for next semester, should she meet with her exploratory advisor or transition herself to meeting with a psychology advisor? How does this transition work? Do you know what your son has done already in the process to help him decide on a major? I would advise her to meet with a psychology advisor... suebp9: worry and get stressed out, I am afraid. The only thing he has told me is that his advisor told him to look at a website that shows possible jobs/careers and then the corresponding major. FSUOL_Sydney: valkennedy your daughter can speak to both advisors if she is still an exploratory major. The psychology advisor will have more advice on staying on map for the specific program. If she is more serious about pursuing that major she can also go through the process of changing her major to psychology but wait until she is able to speak to the advisor. crabbs4: Calendars aren't posted yet for year - only through Spring 2013 crabbs4: 2014

4 FSUOL_Sydney: suebp9 - The exploratory major has many opportunities to discover what path works for them. One of my favorite aspects of the program are monthly pizza parties that allow them to have more honest discussions about how they are feeling with other exploratory majors. I have heard that these are very beneficial because it is a peer-to-peer discussion. FSUOL_Sydney: crabbs4 - FSUOL_Sydney: The extended calendar is not as specific but it has the dates I believe you are looking for. If you son is having great difficulty deciding on a major, the Career Center offers individual career counseling where he will spend one hour weekly, one-on-one with an assigned advisor. He will get a chance to process and take time to explore options that suits his interests, values and skills. He will be given career assessments as the counselor sees fits. Of course, it is free! crabbs4: Thank you! Ok - thanks for all your help - good luck everyone - going to send my son into the career center! suebp9: For instance if you want to be in an insurance agent, major in blank etc. I think he needs more one on one in depth analysis of his strengths. I am not aware that he has attended a pizza party yet. I know that the first couple conflicted with another meeting he had. He is not a big "share with his peers" guy. the individual career counseling pierre mentioned sounds like what his needs. How does he go about this? just walk in? Glad we can help! FSUOL_Sydney: Suebp9 - as a student, I can say that I have had many confusing times and questions regarding which major to choose. The career center has been a great resource to me and led me on the path to Business. Also the absolute most beneficial thing that helped me was developing relationships with my professors. Their guidance and help has given me much advice about where I could see myself in the future. If you develop those relationships, they know you based on your skills from taking their class and also have a lot of insight about many different areas of schooling. Your son can drop in anytime (without an appointment) between 9:00 am - 4:30. On Tuesdays, we are open until 8:00 pm. He will meet for about 20 minutes with an advisor, who will provide him with brief staff assistance. If he expresses he would like to meet weekly with an advisor on an individual basis, we will schedule him to meet with a trained career counselor. suebp9: Sydney, I do appreciate your advice and your willingness to give us a chance to ask questions. I have no doubt my son needs to work on fostering those relationships with his professors. It is nice to hear from a student that this is possible at a school that big! suebp9: Sydney: I have no doubt my son could benefit from reaching out to his professors. It is nice to hear that this is possible from a student! FSUOL_Sydney: Suebp9 - I am glad to help in anyway that I can. I am on the more shy side as a student and it definitely is possible. It's a little scary to take those first steps but once you reach out, I have only been given a helping hand. suebp9: Pierre: Thank you. I will encourage my son to make that walk to the career center. I think the first trip will be the hardest for him...

5 katpham: My son is a sophomore who applied for a TA-type position with a particular professor and did not get it, but that same professor had actually recommended him for another teacher-assistant position that was more in line with his field of study that he did get, and my son is thrilled. I know it is as a result of him developing a positive relationship with the professor. suebp9: katpham. that is great to hear. congratulations! Yes and that is very normal. It is definitely a process when making such a big decision. suebp9: I keep trying to tell him that his is not alone and that there are people at FSU to help him. All heis feeling is pressure to declare... He will have to make a decision by the time he registersfor fall classes,right? FSUOL_Sydney: Suebp9 - the only reason why I would agree on that is based on his amount of credits but I would encourage him to ask his advisor. I'm unsure of this deadline. His advisor would be a good go-to person regarding his time frame. However, fall is still a good time away to expand his knowledge of self and career options :) FSUOL_Sydney: If he has a general idea of what kind of field he wants to go into... it is sometimes easy to shift major to major within a certain department. suebp9: Pierre: true but he will have to sign up for classes in march! I guess he can drop/add a bunch once he 'finds himself' that will be ok... Thank you so much for your help and support. You are welcome. Glad to assist! fsuchat(fsu Staff Kari): We have about five minutes left, are there any last minute quick questions? FSUOL_Sydney: Suebp9 - please remind your son that there are lots of students who go through the same thing. I am generally very shy and know it can be hard to reach out but in the end it is such a relief once the hard part is over. FSU_Moderator_Pierre : Hope we able to answer your questions to some satisfaction! It was a pleasure chatting with you! Sarah1994: THANK YOU SO MUCH! fsuchat(fsu Staff Kari): Thank you to our wonderful moderators and to everyone for being patient with our technical difficulties! fsuchat(fsu Staff Kari): Thats all the time we have for tonight! Thank you again to everyone