{"id":217999,"date":"2022-05-05T08:00:05","date_gmt":"2022-05-05T12:00:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/?p=217999"},"modified":"2022-05-05T15:41:18","modified_gmt":"2022-05-05T19:41:18","slug":"finding-the-right-fit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/newscenter\/2022\/05\/05\/finding-the-right-fit\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding the Right Fit"},"content":{"rendered":"

Four years ago, Timothy Lewis was among Montclair State University\u2019s Class of 2022 who entered college undecided about what he wanted to study. But as part of the inaugural class of University College \u2013 the first and still the only program in New Jersey that supports undergraduates as they explore academic and career paths \u2013 he\u2019s about to cross the finish line.<\/p>\n

Altogether, about a quarter of this year\u2019s graduating class will tip their caps to the mentors in University College who helped guide them at the start of their college journeys. Lewis will earn a degree in Television and Digital Media with a minor in LGBTQ Studies. \u201cMy college experience ended up turning out different than what I thought it was going to be,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s not unusual. \u201cWhy should you have it figured out at 18?\u201d asks Robert Schneider, an academic advisor, who mentored Lewis. \u201cPersonal experiences, work experiences are going to change your views on a lot of different things.\u201d <\/p>\n

When University College launched in 2018, there was no precedent or blueprint to work from, recalls Associate Dean Daphne L. Galkin. \u201cWe started building our professional team, honing our mission and thinking about how we could best support pre-major students.\u201d <\/p>\n

The goal is to have students choose a major by the end of their first two academic years, a milestone commemorated each spring with a \u201cSigning Day\u201d of major declarations. To date, nearly 3,300 pre-major students have chosen a major. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe’re kind of like training wheels,\u201d says Schneider of University College\u2019s academic advisors and program coordinators. \u201cAt some point we remove them and then we send the students off to their major. You watch them fall a little bit and then they get up and they brush themselves off and give it a go again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lewis recalls being \u201ca cautious college freshman very much outside of my comfort zone\u201d when he came to Montclair. He found support from Schneider as the advisor encouraged him to take ownership of his learning experiences. (Listen to Lewis describe his journey on the University College “I Do Declare!<\/a>” podcast).<\/p>\n

\u201cLike a lot of our students, he needed to learn about what Montclair can offer and funnel everything into one direction,\u201d Schneider says. \u201cIt’s important for students to have that self actuality in the end that they made their own decision on a major so that the decision doesn’t define them, they define the decision. It’s very powerful for them when they can do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Ally D’Addezio came to Montclair as a transfer student. She will earn a degree in Child Advocacy and Policy.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nearly 800 graduates in the Class of 2022 began as University College students. Among them, Ally D’Addezio recalls her experience coming here with no clear academic plan. \u201cI transferred to Montclair not knowing what I wanted to do. My advisor was amazing,\u201d she says, helping her explore her interests, which all pointed to working with children. She\u2019ll earn a degree in Child Advocacy and Policy with a minor in Social Work and plans to pursue a master\u2019s degree in Speech Pathology.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Nani Sterling found University College after falling short of being admitted into one of Montclair\u2019s competitive restricted majors, Animation\/Illustration. \u201cIt was disappointing but I didn\u2019t want to give up,\u201d Sterling recalls. A University College advisor encouraged Sterling to take art classes available to pre-majors, including ceramics and painting to build an art portfolio. After a review of the new work, Sterling was admitted into the program and is now set to graduate and launch an art career. <\/p>\n

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As a student leader, Nani Sterling, an Animation\/Illustration major, serves as a University Fellow to support first-year students on their own college path.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
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\u201cIt\u2019s super competitive. I\u2019ve started to realize that sometimes you have to be lucky and I’m hoping that happens,\u201d Sterling says. \u201cI\u2019m excited to start the journey.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cWatching these graduates grow not only as students, but also as student leaders\u201d contributes to the joy of this milestone, says Bobby Serrani, University College\u2019s marketing and communications coordinator.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur goal is of course connecting them to their advisor, faculty, staff, their major, their new college, but also to each other,\u201d Serrani says. \u201cSeeing some of our students become super student leaders has been so refreshing and rewarding, to just know that what we’re doing is working and it’s making a difference.\u201d <\/p><\/div><\/p><\/div>\n

Among those leaders is Ashon Lanada, a Business Administration major who served as executive president of the Student Government Association. University College, he says, helped him navigate a path. \u201cNot just my life, not just my major, but my path to where I\u2019m at now.\u201d <\/p>\n