{"id":17,"date":"2018-07-09T13:40:12","date_gmt":"2018-07-09T13:40:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/discovery-program\/?page_id=17"},"modified":"2026-02-24T14:55:41","modified_gmt":"2026-02-24T19:55:41","slug":"pre-major-academic-advising","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/discovery-program\/pre-major-academic-advising\/","title":{"rendered":"Academic Advising for Pre-Major Students"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In the Discovery Program, there is no \u2018one size fits all\u2019 approach to major exploration as you discover more about yourself and your interests in pursuit of choosing a major. We understand the significance choosing a major holds for your academic and professional goals.\u00a0 Our advisors are committed to guiding you through every step of your major exploration journey, providing you with personalized support and helping you navigate all the University has to offer.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Advising is a vital part of your success at Montclair State University; we believe in empowering you to explore your interests, values and passions to learn more about yourself and your potential. Whether you are a pre-major (undeclared) student unsure of your academic path, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/discovery-program\/transfer-student-advising\/\">new transfer student<\/a> seeking guidance on transitioning into one of Montclair\u2019s programs or a current student looking to join the Discovery Program as you continue exploring your options, our team is here to guide and support you every step of the way as you explore the University in pursuit of your new major.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"prpl-button red\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/discovery-program\/academic-advising\/scheduling-an-advising-appointment\/\">Schedule an Advising Appointment<\/a><\/span><br \/>\n<div class=\"prpl-drawer\"><div class=\"prpl-drawer-header\">Meet Your Academic Advisors<\/div><div class=\"prpl-drawer-content\"><br \/>\n<div class=\"prpl-row\"><div class=\"prpl-column one-half\">\n<h3>Dr. Temeshia Lemons<\/h3>\n<p><iframe title=\"Video: Meet UC Advisor Temeshia Lemons\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/YOCQbRkwgpQ?feature=oembed\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen style=\"width: 500px; height: 281px; border: 0px solid #000;\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div><div class=\"prpl-column one-half\">\n<h3>Johayra \u201cJoy\u201d Granados-Rold\u00e1n<\/h3>\n<p><iframe title=\"Video: Meet UC Advisor Johayra &ldquo;Joy&rdquo; Granados-Roldan\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2E_NK7bAzuo?feature=oembed\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen style=\"width: 500px; height: 281px; border: 0px solid #000;\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div><\/p><\/div><div class=\"prpl-row\"><div class=\"prpl-column one-half\">\n<h3>Dr. Lindsey Hresko-Staab<\/h3>\n<p><iframe title=\"Video: Meet UC Advisor Lindsey Hresko\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Xu7DDUCbgrc?feature=oembed\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen style=\"width: 500px; height: 281px; border: 0px solid #000;\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div><div class=\"prpl-column one-half\">\n<h3>Hope Lennon<\/h3>\n<p><iframe title=\"Video: Meet UC Advisor Hope Lennon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/po4_nbWv2KM?feature=oembed\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen style=\"width: 500px; height: 281px; border: 0px solid #000;\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div><\/p><\/div><div class=\"prpl-row\"><div class=\"prpl-column one-half\">\n<h3>Ivan Lopez<\/h3>\n<p><iframe title=\"Video: Meet UC Advisor Ivan Lopez\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/FDCsTpALYwg?feature=oembed\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen style=\"width: 500px; height: 281px; border: 0px solid #000;\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div><div class=\"prpl-column one-half\">\n<h3>Robert Schneider<\/h3>\n<p><iframe title=\"Video: Meet UC Advisor Rob Schneider\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/J_ukQhvHWIw?feature=oembed\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen style=\"width: 500px; height: 281px; border: 0px solid #000;\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div><\/p><\/div><br \/>\n<\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"prpl-drawer\"><div class=\"prpl-drawer-header\">I&rsquo;m ready to declare&excl; What do I do now&quest;<\/div><div class=\"prpl-drawer-content\"><br \/>\nMost majors at Montclair require the completion of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/red-hawk-central\/how-to-guides\/undergraduate-change-of-major-request\/\">Change of Major\/Minor Request<\/a> on NEST. Some majors are restricted and have different admission requirements like a minimum GPA, completed pre-requisite coursework or an interview or audition. Please review the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/discovery-program\/exploring-majors\/restricted-undergraduate-majors\/\">Restricted Majors<\/a> website to see if the major you are interested in carries additional admission requirements.\n<p>All undergraduate students looking to change their major\/minor <strong>must<\/strong> use the online form via <a href=\"https:\/\/nest.montclair.edu\/\">NEST<\/a>. All requests will be reviewed by your new College\/School designee before being made official; students will receive an email with confirmation of approval. Expect <strong>5-10 business days<\/strong> for processing to occur.\u00a0<strong>Note: only one transaction is permitted each time you complete the form.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>If pursuing a restricted major, you <strong>must<\/strong> meet with your academic advisor to review your progress prior to declaring.<\/p>\n<p><em>Please note: Students looking to drop their current major and become pre-major must first meet with an Academic Advisor in the Discovery Program to discuss their academic plan.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"prpl-button ghost-red\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/discovery-program\/academic-advising\/scheduling-an-advising-appointment\/\">Schedule an Advising Appointment<\/a><\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><div class=\"prpl-drawer\"><div class=\"prpl-drawer-header\">How do I learn more about different majors if I&apos;m still exploring&quest;<\/div><div class=\"prpl-drawer-content\"><br \/>\n<span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Your academic advisor is a great starting point to help you identify potential programs of interest and there are several resources available to help you explore your academic options.<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/discovery-program\/events\/\"><\/a>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Major Exploration Programs and Events<br \/>\n<\/strong>We host a wide variety of exploratory events throughout the year to help you navigate all of Montclair&#8217;s majors, minors and more. Through innovative programs, like <em>Crash-A-Class<\/em> (held every semester), we invite you to explore different majors and the Colleges and Schools in new and exciting ways all year long.<\/li>\n<li><strong><a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/career-services\/current-students\/explore-majors-and-careers\/self-assessment\/\" target=\"_blank\">Take the Focus-2 Self-Assessment<\/a><br \/>\n<\/strong>This free service, offered by Career Services, helps you connect your skills, interests and values with majors offered at Montclair State University and potential careers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.monster.com\/career-advice\/article\/informational-interviewing\" target=\"_blank\">Informational Interview<\/a><br \/>\n<\/strong>What better way to find out about a major than by speaking with someone from that major? Speak with a faculty member or student in the program to learn more about coursework and what students in the major do after they graduate.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Learn about Career Fields<br \/>\n<\/strong>Using <a rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"http:\/\/www.onetonline.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">O*NET<\/a>, research a career field you might pursue.\u00a0 What do you like about it? What skills will make you successful in this field? Do you have them? How can you enhance or develop the skills required for your career field of interest? Meet with your advisor to discuss.<a href=\"\/discovery-program\/academic-advising\/general-education-requirements\/\"><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the Discovery Program, there is no \u2018one size fits all\u2019 approach to major exploration as you discover more about yourself and your interests in pursuit of choosing a major. We understand the significance choosing a major holds for your academic and professional goals.\u00a0 Our advisors are committed to guiding you through every step of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1791,"parent":0,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-17","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/discovery-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/discovery-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/discovery-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/discovery-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/discovery-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17"}],"version-history":[{"count":36,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/discovery-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2517,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/discovery-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/17\/revisions\/2517"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/discovery-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1791"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/discovery-program\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}