Purpose:
The purpose of the Action Guide is to help you evaluate the probability of being successfully admitted to a high-demand major. By working through this Action Guide, you will be able to compare your own subjective beliefs about your qualifications with the objective information you have gained about program and its admissions statistics.
Directions:
Complete the four exercises below and then answer the reflection prompts at the end.
1) Initial Self-Assessment Exercise
On a separate sheet of paper, answer as many as possible of the following questions:
(Kent, 2009, used by permission)
1.How did your interest in this major begin?
2.What experiences/exploration have you completed?
3.Are you enjoying your courses?
4.Are the challenges of the major reasonable?
5.Can you see yourself doing the work required for this major?
6.Where do you think the idea to pursue this major or career came from? (examples: family or friends, social/cultural influences, teacher or mentor, desire for money/prestige/success)
2) Transcript Analysis Exercise
Part 1: You will need unofficial copies of your college transcript(s).Find out what prerequisite courses are required for the high-demand major. Complete the questions below, repeating the process for all required courses. Note that some majors will not accept S/N grades for required courses, have a minimum grade requirement (i.e. C- or above), or do not accept AP credit.
Required course for major: ______
- Title of course I have taken that meets this requirement(indicate if still in progress or not yet completed) ______
- Course designator and number (i.e. Bioc 3021) ______
- Credits______
- Grade______
Part 2: Here you will compare your GPA to the high-demand major you are considering. Fill in the following:
1.My current cumulative GPA ______
2.My current GPA for required courses in the high-demand major ______
3.Minimum GPA required for high-demand major ______
4.Average GPA for students admitted to high-demand major ______
5.If your GPA is lower than the minimum or average for this major, use the GPA calculator to see what it will take to close the gap. (
3) Major Review Exercise
The chart below provides an example of a student who was interested in applying to CSOM for the Entrepreneurial Management major. The student had read the CSOM web site quite extensively and had attended drop-in hours before filling in the two columns. The student filled out the first two columns and then rated themes 1=weak to 5=strong for each admissions criterion.
Sample Major Analysis Exercise 1
Admissions criteria / My credentials / 1=weak to 5=strongAcademic Performance – overall
- Minimum GPA of 3.0 required
- Average collegiate GPA of 3.77 / 3.3 cumulative GPA / 3.5
Completion of 30 credits / 42 credits, including PSEO / 5
Completion of the following three "tool" courses, with a grade of C- or higher:
· Microeconomics (Econ 1101, 1104, or ApEc 1101)
· Macroeconomics (Econ 1102, 1105, or ApEc 1102)
· Calculus (Math 1142 or 1271) / Econ 1101, A-
Econ 1102, B+
Math 1142, B+ / 5
Work experience / 2 years at retail store (high school), promoted to shift manager;
Part-time job, University Rec Center (9 months) / 3
Leadership and involvement (i.e. athletics, student organizations, performing arts, other) / Participant, First-Year Leadership Institute / 4
Community service and volunteer experience / Junior League; Habitat for Humanity; Service projects through National Honor Society / 3
Personal statement (personal insight, unique addition to Carlson, writing mechanics) / A in Writ 1301; Knows about resources at Writing Center; Haven’t started draft yet / 3
Other notes:International experience required as part of curriculum / Will be completing May term study abroad / N/A
Now you try:
By filling out the chart below for the major you are interested in, you can assess whether the major is a good fit or not, strengths, and what areas you will need to work on. To get started, go to the web page of the major you are interested in transferring to (or the CAPE webpage) and identify the admissions criteria. Then fill in your credentials and rate yourself 1-5 for each.
Admissions criterion / My credentials for this criterion / 1=weak to 5=strongNote: After completing the chart, highlight any criteria in which you rated yourself as 3 or below. These are areas you will need to work on before applying.
4) Admissions Committee Exercise
Pretend that you are a member of the admissions committee for a high-demand major and are reviewing your application. Think about the overall strengths and weaknesses of the application in light of the admissions requirements and data you have collected.
Would you choose to ADMIT, DENY, or WAITLIST your application? Why?
______
______
Reflection Prompts:
Now that you have completed the exercises, answer the following:
- How confident do you feel about your chances of being admitted to the high-demand major?
- How motivated are you to continue exploring the high-demand major?
- What else have you explored and/or ruled out? Why?
References:
Kent, Nicole. Reality check: Advising students out of a major. NACADA Pre-conference 2009.
Waters, Theresa. (2012, January 27). Helping students let go: Advising out of a major. OSU Advisor Coffee Talks. Retrieved from blogs.oregonstate.edu/.../files/2012/02/Helping-students-let-go.pptx