First Year

Engagement

Enroll in exploratory courses:

You cannot truly know if you enjoy something until you try it! We want you to engage in coursework starting in your first semester that will provide direct experience in your academic area(s) of interest.

During your Orientation session, you will meet one-on-one with an academic advisor! They will have curriculum guides specific to your Pathway that have been built from suggestions directly from KU academic departments that have helped us identify the perfect exploration classes for you. Exploratory courses are available your fall and spring semesters.

Connect with the University Career Center (UCC):

The UCC will be another partner in your exploration process. Some of the services they offer are individual meetings with career coaches to talk about your career interests and goals, career assessments that will help reveal and clarify your interests and strengths, and events throughout the semester, all of which will help guide your career and major planning process.

The first thing we suggest is to take the HawkQuest evaluation! This is a quick quiz designed to help you think about majors as they relate to your interests. Your results will include the top 5 KU majors we think you might be interested in considering. Show your results to your advisor to start considering options.

Also, check out the UCC’s Career Communities to further explore and access additional resources.

Participate in Exploratory Activities:

Download our Exploratory Activities Guide (.docx)! Some of these activities include joining student organizations, volunteering, meeting with faculty, and attending campus events! This is a great tool to help you think beyond the classroom. KU and its entire community has so much to offer!

Advising

You will be required to meet specific advising milestones within your first year at KU:

Early August/September:

This is our chance to really get to know you! What are your interests and personal goals? What are you hoping to gain during your time at KU? These are just a few questions that will help guide our conversation.

October/November:

We will begin to talk about enrollment for the upcoming semesters and review how your semester is going so far. We will also identify further opportunities for exploration.

Second semester check-in:

In this meeting, we will chat about how your winter break was, and you will begin to develop a major shortlist. This can include minors and certificates! This list will narrow your exploration process and guide second semester schedule planning.

March/April:

We will plan enrollment for the upcoming semesters and provide resources and any help you might need as you continue exploring over the summer!

Your Advisor

All Exploratory Pathways students are assigned to an academic advisor from Jayhawk Academic Advising. You can find this information in Jayhawk GPS or Enroll & Pay.