‘It was so hard to make a life decision at the age of 18’

Some students know exactly what they want to do when they grow up. Others spend hours taking online “What career is right for you?” quizzes. Here’s the good news: all students have time and options.

Whether coming in undecided or switching majors one semester in, Purdue’s exploratory studies program is there for you.

Linda Gregory, executive director of exploratory studies, said around 1200-1800 students enroll in the program each year.

“Over 70% of our students choose to begin with us, and it’s usually because they’re so bright they can do anything,” she said.

The major’s only requirement is an academic career planning class, EDPS 105 and meetings with the advising team. In class, students reflect on their strengths, interests and values, Gregory said.

“I always describe it as being a Venn diagram,” she said. “They learn more about themselves, about the outside world of work and Purdue majors. Where those three things intersect is really going to be that best fit for you.”

Purdue offers around 227 majors, and the exploratory studies advisors are versed in all of them. According to a study by Purdue, 24.8% of exploratory students end up in the college of health and human sciences, 18.2% in the polytechnic institute, 15.7% in engineering, 12.0% in businesses, 11.8% in liberal arts and the others following close behind.

“(Students) can only stay with us a maximum of four semesters, and most will leave after just one,” she said.

Some programs, like engineering, require students to meet requirements before switching over from exploratory studies.

“Except for that handful of majors, the students go when they’re ready,” Gregory said.

Gregory, who attended Purdue for her undergraduate degree, went into her freshman year for math education and later switched to French education. She knew she wanted to go into education, but couldn’t find a job for her niche degree. She ended up working an entry level position as a pension consultant for Aetna.

“I loved that job. Had I gotten a teaching job, I would probably still be a French teacher somewhere,” she said. “I would have never had that corporate experience and see what that was like and liked that. I don’t think I’d be in my position now.”

Gregory said the department gets some students switching over the summer. Last year, they had about 100 students switch in. Exploratory studies is an open program, meaning they are always accepting new students.

Not all exploratory students are freshmen, Gregory said. Some students switch in after a few semesters in another major. While she can’t promise a perfect four-year plan in that scenario, Gregory said students will learn the skills to read and write a plan of study and meet program requirements.

“I’ll use engineering as an example, where they’ve probably completed 30-35 credit hours of coursework. They say, ‘You know what, I think I want to go into accounting,’” she said. “Well, okay, we’ve already got the calculus, chances are you already have oral written communication a lot of classes you need…you have 40% of your degree already.”

Degree planning tools can also be found on the updated myPurdue page.

Ivy Wooster, a senior studying psychology and brain and behavioral sciences, came from her home state California to Purdue specifically for its exploratory studies program.

“It’s actually one of the best programs in the country for exploratory studies,” Wooster said. “I’m actually an ambassador because of how amazing their program was. From day one, (they) were the most caring and energetic, positive group of professors and teachers.”

Wooster decided to pursue psychology, then switched to brain and behavioral, then added psychology back.

“I had so many ideas of what I wanted to do. It felt like it was so hard to make a life decision at the age of 18 coming right out of high school where you have all these classes predetermined for you,” she said.

After graduation, she wants to become an occupational therapist.

“I think there’s a lot of stigma around (being undecided),” Wooster said. “You’re in an undecided major, like ‘You can’t get your life together,’ but I truly felt like every person that helped me throughout the exploratory study journey was trying to figure out what and where I could excel.”