I Want to Help People: The Catch-Phrase of the Indecisive Student

Zackary Underwood, Academic Advisor, University of North Carolina Wilmington

Allison Jones, Career Counselor,University of North Carolina Wilmington

Undecided students are…

• “Unwilling, unable or unready to make educational or vocational decisions” (Gordon, 2007, p. X)

Gordon, V. (2007). The undecided college student : An academic and career advising challenge. Springfield, Ill: Charles C Thomas.

Describe this student

What did you find?

• Is there a difference in your mind between undecided and indecisive?

• Do these students look the same or different across different institutions?

At UNCW

• University of North Carolina Wilmington is located in Wilmington, North Carolina

• Masters Comprehensive University on the coast of North Carolina

• Undecided and indecisive are a common occurrence

• In 2014, we had 15% of incoming freshmen enter as undecided. (The most popular major)

Curran, T. (2014). UNCW Enrollment Profile 2014: Prepared for Division of Student Affairs. Unpublished internal document. University of North Carolina Wilmington.

I want to help people

• This is a phrase that career counselors and academic advisors hear all the time regarding people’s majors

• Mock Conversation• Where does this come from?

How can get students to make a decision?

• Major Decision Process– “Some choice is good, but…choices available to us

contributes to bad decisions, to anxiety, stress, and dissatisfaction—even to clinical depression” (Schwartz, 2004, p. 3).

– A process to focus on introspection and work towards a final commitment

Decide your life now!

UNCW’sMajor

Decision Process

How can this help students?

• Advantages include:– Cyclical Nature of Process– Pushing the student to make small decisions – Constant Introspection/Reflection– Opportunities to work with resources across

campus– Can work with any major or career– Can lead to a multitude of outcomes– Multiple options under each heading

What are the influences for indecision?

• Talk with a partner and offer suggestions• College students increasingly believed that

their lives are being controlled by outside forces” even though they may not realize what areas are influencing them (Twenge, 2006, p. 139)

Twenge, J. (2006). Generation me: why today's young Americans are more confident, assertive, entitled--and more miserable than ever before. New York: Free Press.

One influence is online interactions

• When you have a question about something, what do you do?– Siri: “Where is the closest bookstore?”– Google it: “Where can I get the best burrito in

Minneapolis?”– Ask your friends online: “What is good

optometrist in Minneapolis?”– We ask for help on a daily basis.

Online environments and helping

• Individuals offer help to others online every day– Answering people’s questions via discussion

boards or social networks– I need help with this homework. Do you have the

link to the PDF? (Khan Academy example)– Even asking more private question anonymously…

what is the best fraternity at UNCW? (Yik-Yak)

Television and helping

• Netflix and college• What types of shows encourage helping?• Holland emphasizes that stereotypes of

careers can guide students towards particular careers. (Gordon, 2007)

Gordon, V. (2007). The undecided college student : An academic and career advising challenge. Springfield, Ill: Charles C Thomas.

Video of Helping

• https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B69rNEtpcSuYRUk1TmxqaDQ2X0k/view?usp=sharing

Hypothesis

• The mass media shapes the individual who observes the media (Strinati, 2004).

• Observation of helping people plays an important role towards children’s development (Taylor, Peplau, & Sears, 2003).

• Television shows constantly connect the viewer to universal ideals such as helping others, and it creates a larger collective of individuals who talk about these narratives on a daily basis (Strinati, 2004)Strinati, D. (2004). An introduction to theories of popular culture. London New York: Routledge.Taylor, S., Peplau, L. & Sears, D. (2003). Social psychology. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice Hall.

The Major Decision Process & Helping

• Understand the influences• If they say they want to help, have them

explain why or define the term• Walk them through a process such as the

Major Decision Process to offer a reflective practice towards a decision