Being a first year college student has its fair share of hardships, especially when students are still unsure about what field to go into – let alone what major to declare.
The University of Guam (UOG) policy requires that students must declare a major once 30 college credits have been completed, so for those of you who have yet to reach that goal, there is still time for exploration.
The First-Year Seminar Course, or FY101, might not sound like the most important class, but two of UOG’s Senior Student Academic Counseling Specialists and FY101 professors, Joann Sudo and Cyaundra Shimizu Quitugua, share their thoughts as to why they believe FY101 is a vital part of having a successful freshman year and future at UOG.
Sudo and Quitugua acknowledge the fact that most students come into UOG not knowing what is needed to attain a degree.
“As undeclared advisors, we completely understand a lot of the anxiety that goes into graduating from high school and then not knowing their footing when it comes to the college experience,” Sudo shared. “As First-Year Seminar instructors, we allow and support students to explore the different degree programs that are offered here at UOG.”
The class grants students four to five months of exploration. It provides students with an insight of what their futures will look like based on what degree they may want to pursue.
Both Sudo and Quitugua take the time to introduce valuable resources to narrow down options for students in each of their FY101 classes. The professors ensure to provide as much as they can from sharing personal knowledge to available contact information.
“We become that resource for them,” Sudo states. “We’re going to give you anything and everything you need to know to be successful in your first year.”
One of the resources FY101 introduces to students is the Career Development Office, or CDO, which can help students with identifying what their strengths and interests are. Once detecting their prospective path, students can be directed onto courses fitting to them at UOG as well as into their prospective career fields.
For students who might be leaning towards a major but are still not one hundred percent sure, it is still important to take the right steps when choosing classes.
“Even though you’re undeclared, take these courses,” Quitugua adds in response to how she wants to guide students who are still unsure of their degree. “These are the courses that you need to fulfill the major that you think you want to take or you want to study.”
Sudo and Quitugua have been described as ‘lenient college moms’ who know that at a certain point they need to start pushing their kids–students–to make the final adult decisions.
It is through FY101 that these instructors are able to get to know their students and help cultivate a curriculum that best fits each of them.
If you would like to contact either Professor Sudo or Quitugua for any further information, both have contact information available on the UOG Directory. During the regular hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Professor Sudo encourages students seeking any information to visit the Triton Welcome Center. The center is located to the left of the fieldhouse and there are also student workers available if it is preferable to speak to a peer over an advisor.