Welcome!
We know that you are working hard to serve a number of talented, ambitious, and highly motivated students. We also know that many of these students are discovering new academic directions as they are in your classes. You may have introduced them to a subject they have never heard of or you may be helping them reach the conclusion that the major they are currently in is not the right fit for their interests and abilities. We'd like to share some information about how University Exploration (EXP), an academic program at The Ohio State University, can help you help these students!
EXP advisors assist students in finding majors that align with their interests, abilities, values, and goals, while still making timely progress toward a degree. Students might identify themselves as undecided about a major for a multitude of reasons. EXP is a great option for students who:
- Want to learn about all 200+ majors offered at Ohio State, plus minors and specializations
- Have a few areas of interest but would like more time or information before committing to one
- Would like to experience college-level coursework in a subject before declaring a major
- Have a long-term goal, such as a professional program (law, medicine, pharmacy, etc.), but are not yet sure which major to pursue for their baccalaureate degree
You may be familiar with advising models which were utilized at Ohio State in the past, but EXP has gone through a series of changes and improvements in recent years! Advisors in EXP employ a range of developmental, proactive and intentional advising practices to support students in their first one to two years. Here are some quick facts about the advising experience in EXP and student outcomes:
- Approximately 15% of incoming first year students enroll through EXP each year
- Approximately 25% of incoming transfer students enroll through EXP each year
- Approximately 4-5% of current first year students who start in a major change into EXP midway through their college career
- Students who enter EXP as freshmen are retained and graduate at the same rate as students who enroll directly in degree-granting programs
- EXP students successfully move into every academic program at Ohio State
Exploration advisors are available to talk to students or staff individually or to present to a group. If you would like to see what presentations we have done in the past, please contact exploration@osu.edu.