Academic Advising
First Year and Exploratory Advising
Just getting started as a Wildcat? Let us help you explore!
First Year and Exploratory Advising provides essential advising support for students who are joining the Wildcat family or exploring their academic major options. Advisors in this area will guide informed decision making and utilize student development theories and proactive advising strategies to support student’s educational goals.Located in the Learning Commons, First-Year and Exploratory Advising offers in person and virtual appointments to students who are exploring their major options and/or making the transition into their first-year at CWU.
Resources to Help You Start Exploring
Check out the CWU Catalog
- You can review a list of majors and their requirements in the Catalog. Sometimes you can get a sense of it just by reading through the course descriptions.
- Write down what sounds interesting, and make a note to look up new majors you might not know much about!
- If you already have a major in mind, Great! The catalog will help give you a sense of what is expected.
- First-year students you will most likely be focusing be focusing on completing General Education requirements. You can find the requirments listed in the Course Catalog.
Reading information in the catalog is a great first step, but more information should be sought using a variety of resources, such as:
- CWU Department Websites
- Career Services' "What can I do with a major in....?" tool
- Take an introductory class in the subject next quarter
- Consider checking out any student clubs or organizations that relate to your interests
- Interview faculty members or people who work in your field of interest
- Review information in the Occupational Outlook Handbook
For our Exploratory Friends - Once you have gathered information on your top 1-3 majors, you can review that information with any of the following resources.
- Create pros/cons or likes/dislikes
- Talk through your thoughts on each major with your advisor or a trusted mentor
- Engage in reflection or journaling
- Pursue job shadowing or informational interviewing
- Find out what other information or experiences you need before deciding
- For first-year students joining us in the Fall, don't forget to complete the CWU Next Steps List, to make sure you can get started on the right foot come Fall quarter.
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