Fireside Chat dates and times below!
What is the Exploratory Program for undeclared students?
The Exploratory Program provides undeclared students with specialized advising, self-exploration tools and unique programming to help them uncover the best choice for their interests and goals. This is a support program, NOT an academic major students can graduate with. Exploratory students have four major supports:
- Exploratory Advisors: Faculty from different departments all over campus who have specialized training to understand working with Exploratory students. They focus on picking classes with Exploratory students that count for a general education requirement and something they are interested in.
- Exploratory Peer Leaders: Student staff who are trained to work with Exploratory students throughout the year to provide support as they think about the different options available to them. They focus on outreach, community building, and preparing them to meet with their advisors for advising and registration period.
- Academic and Social Events: Throughout the year, the office hosts academic and social events to build community with Exploratory students and get them thinking about what they want to do. Our Panels and Fireside Chats are open to all, while the rest are offered specifically for Exploratory Students.
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Canvas Support Page: This is a support page with announcements, advisor information, peer leader assignments, and a variety of assessments for students to do on their own.
What policies should I be aware of as an Exploratory (undeclared) student?
We encourage Exploratory students to declare within their first year (May), but they can declare at any time throughout the year. How to declare a major.
We also have two holds from the Exploratory office; the goal of both is to ensure students do not get behind in their future major and are able to declare a major. Both holds list as an “Exploratory hold”, but students will get messaging in Navigate, and be added to a campaign regarding which hold they have. They are placed in mid-September to give students time to connect with the Exploratory Program and get their hold lifted:
- 45-credit hold: Exploratory students MUST declare by 45 credits. This ensures they're still able to graduate on time. In many cases, they're out of general education requirements before this point. The hold is placed on students who are over 31 credits.
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2.0 GPA hold: Exploratory students MUST have over a 2.0 GPA to declare their major. Therefore, a hold is placed on their account when they fall under this threshold. They will be sent the Exploratory Academic Improvement form to set-up a meeting.
You must fill out parts I and II of the form before meeting with the Exploratory Program.
What should I be doing as I work to discover my interests as an Exploratory (undeclared) student, or if I’m considering adding a minor?
Student who are in the Exploratory Program can follow the Exploratory Toolkit process outlined here.
The Exploratory Program hosts 6 Fireside chats throughout the school year that are open to students in ANY major. This is a fantastic opportunity for students to learn from faculty in a causal setting about different majors and minors available to them. Check out our social media to see what faculty will be attending each session!
| Fireside Chat | Date | Time | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discovery of Interests (Meet Your Faculty Advisor) |
Thursday, September 25 | 3:30 PM | Forten 123 |
| Facing the Fear Factor | Thursday, October 23 | 4:30 PM | Forten 123 |
| Gratefulness | Wednesday, November 12 | 4:00 PM | Forten 123 |
| Winter Reset | Thursday, February 12 | 3:30 PM | Forten 123 |
| Finding Your Passions | Wednesday, March 11 | 4:30 PM | Forten 123 |
| Springing Forward | Tuesday, April 14 | 4:00 PM | Forten 123 |
Who should I contact with any questions or concerns regarding declaring my major or adding a minor?
If you have questions, please email exploratory@salemstate.edu. You can also find more information on our social media account.