Summary
From classifying and tracking undecided students, who often enroll in general studies programs, to guiding and advising them, professional and faculty advisors at community colleges often find difficulty in serving undecided student populations. This brief examines advising timelines, practices, early alert systems, and advisor training programs that best serve undecided or general studies students.
Key observations from our research:1. To flag and track undecided or exploratory applicants but not preclude them from federal financial aid, institutions should allow applicants to indicate an “undecided” status while still enrolling in a specific academic program.
2. Establish advising milestones for undecided and general studies students prior to registration and throughout the semester.
3. Specialized professional advisors and tenured faculty advisors alike counsel undecided and general studies students at profiled institutions.
4. Advisors leverage faculty connections to flag students at risk for academic probation and the automation of early alert software systems to “flag” similar students.