“Undecided, exploring, or open students come from various age groups, backgrounds, and educational experience. As a result, there is no one proven advisement panacea that works best with every open student” (Steele & McDonald, 2000).
“Students enter higher education at various levels of undecidedness. In fact, these students may be in a cyclical process; they will make a decision and then return to undecidedness due to doubt, lack of information, peer influence, fear, parental pressure, etc. All students in the exploring phase must be assessed as individuals.” (Slowinski & Hammock, 2003)
A. Characteristics
- Unwilling, unable or unready to make educational or vocational decisions.
- May generally have difficulty making decisions.
- May be wavering between two or more options.
- May not be knowledgeable regarding career/major options and/or requirements.
- May or may not be academically unprepared.
B. Advising Techniques
- Be aware of an individual student's values and seek to incorporate these values into the exploration process.
- Help student operate in a planned organized manner as they approach their exploration.
- Remind the student that choosing a career/major is a process which takes time and effortt
- Help identify sources to gain information on prospective fields of study.
- Encourage student to use all available resources to help with their decision such as the Career Center, faculty etc.
(Slowinski & Hammock, 2003)