More than 25 percent of the University of Memphis students are undecided, undeclared, prenursing or nursing, according to an analysis by The Daily Helmsman. (Photo/graph by Jonathan Capriel)
Many students come into college not knowing what they want to major in. In fact, a large amount of students end up undecided or undeclared in their first year.
More than 15 percent of students at the University of Memphis are classified as undecided, undeclared or pre-nursing, according to data analyzed by The Daily Helmsman.
“Most students don’t always know right away and take their time finding out,†said Carl Chando, director of the Academic Counseling Center.
“When most freshman come in, we work with them in their process of deciding,†Chando said. “Sometimes they’ll come in wanting to major in one thing and they’ll end up changing majors.â€
            Chando said many of the students he works with decide on science, technology, engineering or mathematics majors.
           “Some people end up changing from a STEM major due to the rigorous other classes that come with maintaining a major in that department,†Chando said.
           Usually by the third or fourth semester, most students are ready to make their decision and solidify a major, he said.
“The pre-nursing groups represent most groups that we work with and advise,†Chando said. “A good percentage, close to a third, of students actually end up sticking with pre-nursing.â€
Aside from pre-nursing, nursing is the highest major chosen by U of M students. However, it is not always easy to get into the program.
           Students can not simply declare a nursing major, they must be accepted into the Loewenberg School of Nursing.
           Out of the 20,000 to 21,000 students enrolled at the U of M, exactly 975 students both graduate and undergraduate are enrolled as current students in the school of nursing.
About 400 students each semester apply to the school of nursing, but less than 70 percent are accepted. A little more than 300 students graduated from the program last year.
           Even though most students who enter the program say they want to be nurses, many of them do not end up staying with that major.
           “Some of the nursing students will drop out,†Chando said. “Either due to the fact that they don’t have the best grades or that they have difficulty with the science prerequisites they have to fulfill.â€
           But should students decide they want to get more creative with their major, there’s the option of the University College, which is the third most common major.
           The University College serves as an outlet for students who may want to design their own major. Â
           “The most popular that we see is child development, family studies and health services,†Lana Wells, graduate assistant with the University College, said.
           The University College is also home to other programs such as fashion merchandising, organizational leadership and the Finish Line program.
           “The Finish Line program is a path for students who may not have finished their degree yet,†Wells said. “If they have some credits left to fulfill and maybe took a break from school, we allow them to come back and finish through our program. But only if they have 30 credit hours left.â€
