Carrie Beth Smith is undecided — and she feels no pressure to pick a major just yet.
“I feel that when I’m ready to decide on a major, I will pick one,” she said. “But right now, I’m just not ready.”
Smith is one of about 730 freshmen who have not declared a major. But that number shrinks every day, because more and more students are making that decision sooner, according to the Office of Budget and Planning.
As of the beginning of this semester, 818 students had not yet declared a program of study. But, last fall, the University had 1,220 undecided majors.
And according to University College, the numbers have been falling for the past few years.
Paul Ivey, University College associate dean, said several factors have affected the number of undecided majors.
“I think increased admissions standards have brought on the type of student ready to identify some type of major,” he said.
Those increased standards went into effect for this fall’s new freshmen.
Not only are there fewer undecided majors, but fewer students are staying undecided into their sophomore and junior years, said Bernie Braun, a Budget and Planning analyst.
Last fall, 134 sophomores and three juniors were undecided. But this fall, 85 sophomores and three juniors were undecided.
Ivey said dissolving Junior Division — the undergraduate college for students waiting to enter degree programs — may have caused students to pick majors sooner.
In 2000, Junior Division became two separate centers — University College Center for Freshman Year and University College Center for Advising and Counseling.
A student could stay in Junior Division for up to 60 credit hours, Ivey said.
“Our message to them as new students was, ‘Don’t feel the pressure of time [in picking a major],'” Ivy said.
But, former Provost Dan Fogel was concerned with the University’s graduation rates and wanted a “true freshman college,” Ivey said.
Now, entering freshmen stay in UCFY for no more than 30 credit hours. If they have not chosen a major or have not met the requirements to enter their senior college, they automatically are transferred to UCAC.
While the numbers of undecided students are dropping, Ivey said students with declared majors still may be insecure in their career plans.
Dereck Kibodeaux is a chemistry sophomore, but he realized two semesters ago chemistry was not for him.
“It’s pretty stressful, because I have to get into a college by the end of next semester,” Kibodeaux said. “It is kinda hard to just pick one in that short amount of time.”
Kibodeaux is considering business or marketing, but said he has not yet sought career counseling from the University.
Ivey said University College and Career Services work with undecided students to help them choose their career path.
Mary Feduccia, Career Services director, said choosing a career starts with getting in touch with who you are.
“When students start with themselves, it’s a much better approach to choosing a career,” she said.
Career Services offers counseling to assess a student’s interests, abilities, values and personality.
From there, Feduccia said, students can discover which job they are best suited for.
She emphasized career decisions are not easily made.
“The student who wants to make a good decision usually wants to invest the time and effort into the process,” Feduccia said.
Ivey said all undecided freshmen were required to go to a “career discovery” Web site (www.lsu.edu/careerdiscovery) before they were cleared for spring scheduling.