Feature Story Pitches

What is the importance of studying abroad? How does it advance a student’s education?
What makes the GUST (undeclared) program different from other colleges? Why are a majority of students declared when they enter college, as opposed to those who go undeclared?

Early Draft

250-300

Guided Undergraduate Studies; Benefits of Beginning Undeclared in College

University of New England, Biddeford, ME

Entering college is an extensive process, as many High School Graduates know, so, how do University of New England students, at the age of seventeen or eighteen, know what to major in? The University states that [PERCENTAGE] of students start off their college career undeclared. A majority of students in the United States attend public high schools which are not career-specific, so, what is it that causes a majority of students to know what they want to do in life at such a young age?

The University of New England’s Biddeford Campus offers the Guided Undergraduate Studies (GUST) Program. Students are provided faculty and resources to fine-tune their interests over the first few years of their post-secondary education. In their first-year, students in this program are given a faculty mentor and advisor who guides them through interviewing professors, exploring the majors available, talking with other students, and discussing career paths that might be a proper fit. This foundational year creates a framework for students to further their college experience while also adjusting to the oftentimes difficult transition into university life. The first year is also experimental in nature, students explore the variety of classes offered on the Biddeford campus, and begin to take the core required classes for all UNE students, so they will not stand in the way later on, once a major is declared. In the GUST program, mentors and advisors also encourage students to consider the minors offered. Many students have more than one passion with transferable skills to any discipline, minors are great resume-builders for emerging college students.

Second Draft

400-500

Guided Undergraduate Studies; Benefits of Beginning Undeclared in College

University of New England, Biddeford, ME

Entering college is an extensive process, as many High School Graduates know, so how do University of New England students, at the age of seventeen or eighteen, know what to major in? The University states that [PERCENTAGE] of students start their college career undeclared. A majority of learners in the United States attend public high schools that are not career-specific, so what causes a majority of students to know what they want to do in life at such a young age?

The University of New England’s Biddeford Campus offers the Guided Undergraduate Studies (GUST) Program. Students are provided with faculty and resources to fine-tune their interests over the first few years of their post-secondary education. In their first year, students in this program have a faculty mentor and advisor who guides them through interviewing professors, exploring the available majors, talking with other students, and discussing career paths that might be a proper fit. This foundational year creates a framework for students to further their college experience while adjusting to the often difficult transition into university life. The first year is also experimental; students explore the variety of courses offered on the Biddeford campus and begin to take the core required classes for all UNE students so they will not stand in the way once a major is declared. In the GUST program, mentors and advisors encourage students to consider the minors offered. Many students have more than one passion with transferable skills to any discipline; minors are great resume-builders for emerging college students.
Several students find that their interests change once they get started with their classes. What once was a dream of theirs does not always play out so well in reality, as coursework can be challenging at the university level. [INTERVIEW].

Declaring a major before beginning college may come from contributing factors. Freshman Peyton Estes, Medical Biology – Pre-Dental Track, found a love for dentistry through her mother, a dental hygienist. She works summers at her mother’s dental practice in Central Maine, and while enjoying the profession, she decided to become a dentist.
Numerous students find themselves in similar situations as Estes, either looking up to their parents’ careers or trying out the types of work they may be interested in. Upcoming college students begin looking at their passions, goals, interests, and potential careers from those around them to whittle down the options that colleges provide.

Peer Review Draft

760

Guided Undergraduate Studies; Beginning Undeclared in College

A good look into the Guided Undergraduate Studies Program at the University of New England, Biddeford, ME

Entering college is an extensive process, as many High School Graduates know, so how do University of New England (UNE) students, at the age of seventeen or eighteen, know what to major in? The university observed 5.23% of students beginning undeclared between 2016 and 2022. Numerous learners in the United States attend public high schools that are not career-specific, so what causes a majority of students to know what they want to do at such a young age?

In the Fall semester of 2019, the undeclared major received a rebranding by Jonathan Millen, the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). It previously existed as any other college’s Undecided/Undeclared major, but Millen brought a new outlook to the program with the help of other CAS faculty and formed the Guided Undergraduate Studies (GUST) Program. Since its inception, the percentage of students entering as undeclared has risen to 6.23% of the entire university’s undergraduate population.

Students in the program are provided with staff contacts and resources to fine-tune their interests over the first two years of their post-secondary education. Students in this program have a faculty mentor and professional advisor who guides them through interviewing professors, exploring the available majors, talking with other students, and discussing career paths that might be a proper fit. In the first-year seminar, students partake in projects that connect them to all sides of the UNE campus, which offers academic lectures, clubs, events, speaking to professional staff, and more, thus creating a portfolio designed to their interests. Speakers from different disciplines talk to the GUST classrooms, and students discuss their goals and passions.

Freshman Corbin Schreindorfer, who recently declared a dental hygiene major, went into his first semester at UNE as a GUST student. When asked about the program, he stated, “The guest speakers were the most helpful.” Bringing in staff from different fields of study helped guide him to what he enjoys and desires, or dislikes in a career field. Corbin, like many in the US, attended a public high school which does not target a particular interest, as some vocational schools do. He had no clue what he wanted to do during and after college, which he and his peers in the program tend to agree on.

The foundational year creates a framework for students to further their college experience while adjusting to the often difficult transition into university life. The first year is experimental; students explore the variety of courses offered on campus and begin to take the core required classes for all UNE students. In the GUST program, mentors and advisors encourage students to consider the minors offered. Many students have more than one passion with transferable skills to any discipline; minors are great resume-builders for emerging college students.

Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences and Associate Professor of Chemistry, Amy Keirstead, is one of the two faculty mentors, alongside Dean Millen, for the GUST program, teaching the first-year seminar for students in the program. The curriculum aspires to “funnel down” according to Keirstead. Starting broad and narrowing down on a subject instead of zig-zagging, as some students who alter their focus multiple times throughout their university years do. Dean Keirstead attributes, “[The program] Can’t run without the advising team, all academic units, and of course the student’s enrollment.” The supporting staff from the program help make it happen out of kindness and understanding of the importance of students who may need this additional help. “We bring them (students) together and provide support,” Keirstead says.

Keirstead asserts that the rebranding by Millen was to destigmatize the often negative connotations with undeclared or undecided students. At the outset of the program, changes were made to call it the GUST program instead of an undeclared major to make students feel more included and comfortable with how they begin their college experience, as they are in the minority of their declared peers. All other programs of study have community events and similar classes to their peers, but where do the undeclared students fit? GUST creates further inclusion, positive growth, opportunity, and exploration for students who require additional tools for their transition into college. It is beneficial for those new students who are unaware of where they want to take their life to have an undeclared program such as UNE’s. Navigating college can be tricky with changing interests and involvement, as freshmen venture into the world without as much guidance lower-education schools provide. With the GUST program, these students are more involved and welcomed into the college community.

Workshop Reflection

As my feature was workshopped today, I found plenty of useful information for my editing and revision process as I move forward with this draft. I went into this workshop knowing I needed to include more perspectives about the GUST programs from students and faculty, but I had no idea how to cut down on what I already had. As it stands, before I begin editing, I am at 749 words. Once asked for advice on this matter, I gained a few insightful ideas that will aid in my process of cutting down, while also continuing to build the significance. Being able to siphon out the details that may be unnecessary is something I will have to work on, in addition to really focusing on the angle. My next steps are to reach out to a faculty member, likely Michael Cripps and Dean Millen, for an interview or even just a statement, in addition to a potential student contact who is now an upperclassman. I will begin looking for places where information is too wordy or not focused on the angle and intended impact. Overall, this workshopping experience is valuable for any journalist, and I look forward to seeing what I can refine.

Revised Draft

Guided Undergraduate Studies; Beginning Undeclared in College

A look into the Guided Undergraduate Studies Program

University of New England, Biddeford, ME

By Sarah Bourdeau

Entering college is an extensive process, as many high school graduates know, so how do University of New England (UNE) students, at seventeen or eighteen, know what to major in? The university observed 5.23% of students beginning undeclared between 2016 and 2022. So what happens to those who enter college undeclared?

In the Fall of 2019, the undeclared major received a rebranding by Jonathan Millen, the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). It previously existed as any other college’s Undecided/Undeclared major, but Millen brought a new outlook to the program with the help of CAS faculty and formed the Guided Undergraduate Studies (GUST) Program. Since its inception, the percentage of students entering as undeclared has risen to 6.23% of the entire university’s undergraduate population.

Students in the updated program are provided with staff contacts and resources to fine-tune their interests over the first two years of their post-secondary education. Students in this program have a faculty mentor and professional advisor who guides them through interviewing professors, exploring majors, talking with other students, and discussing career paths.

“… [students] work with our professional staff team to ensure they are receiving the guidance and support they need to succeed at UNE”. Millen attests.

In the first-year seminar, pupils partake in projects, connecting them to the UNE campus, offering academic lectures, clubs, events, speaking to professionals, and more, thus creating a portfolio designed for their interests. Speakers from different disciplines talk to the GUST classrooms, and students discuss their goals and passions.

Freshman Corbin Schreindorfer, who recently declared a dental hygiene major, went into his first semester at UNE as a GUST student.

“The guest speakers were the most helpful.” He reflects on his experience in the program.

Bringing staff from different fields of study helped guide him to what he enjoys and dislikes in a career field. Schreindorfer, like many, had no clue what he wanted to do during and after college, which he and his peers in the program tend to agree on.

The foundational year creates a framework for students to further their college experience while adjusting to the often difficult transition into university life. The first year is experimental; students explore the courses offered and begin taking the core required classes for all UNE students. In the GUST program, mentors and advisors also encourage students to consider the minors offered since they include transferable skills to any discipline.

Associate Dean of CAS and Associate Professor of Chemistry, Amy Keirstead, is one of the two faculty mentors, alongside Millen, for the GUST program, teaching the first-year seminar for its students.

The curriculum aspires to “funnel down,” according to Keirstead. Starting broad and narrowing down on a subject instead of zig-zagging, as some students who alter their focus multiple times throughout their university years do.

Junior Jaylee Ireland entered as a Dental Hygiene major but switched to Medical Biology. While in the same general field, she had to do some introductory classes required for her new major.

“I then changed to Medical biology after my fall semester last year, and it was hard catching back up and taking first-year classes,” Ireland recalls.

Recently, Ireland changed to a Biological Sciences major. Despite changing majors twice, Ireland knows she likes to help people and is passionate about science, expressing why she had no desire to enter the GUST program. Some students in GUST find themselves interested in more than one field of study. Changing majors can cause students to take more introductory courses, making the program worthwhile for college students to seek their passions initially instead of zig-zagging.

“[The program] can’t run without the advising team, all academic units, and of course the student’s enrollment.” Keirstead attributes.

The supporting staff from the program help make it happen out of kindness and understanding of the importance of students who may need this additional help.

“I was branded undeclared and undecided. It always bothered me that I was identified by such negative qualifiers”. Millen reflects on his time as an undeclared student himself.

Millen asserts that the rebranding was to destigmatize the often adverse connotations with undeclared students. At the outset of the program, changes were made to call it the GUST Program instead of an Undeclared Major to make students feel more included and comfortable with how they begin their college experience, as they are in the minority of their declared peers. All other programs of study have community events and similar classes to their peers, but where do the undeclared students fit?

GUST creates further inclusion, positive growth, opportunity, and exploration for students who require additional tools for their transition into college. It is beneficial for new students who are unaware of where they want to take their life to have access to an undeclared program such as UNE’s.

Navigating college can be tricky with changing interests and involvement, as freshmen venture into the world without as much guidance as primary schools provide. With the GUST program, students are better involved and welcomed into the college community.

Feature Reflection

Being a GUST student, I thought it influential to inform other students about this program, as it is such a small portion of the school’s population. I knew I wanted to get some of the numbers into my feature, but I was unsure if it would be possible. Luckily, Dean Keirstead was incredibly helpful by going out of her way to figure out these statistics for me. I had most of what I needed in terms of the general operation of the program from the website and remembering what I could from orientation – though the interviews brought a further understanding behind the rebranding. It was challenging to take myself out of the narrative after taking a few creative writing classes recently, but I realized its importance in interrupting the flow of the story. I tend to write a lot for projects like this, so while revising, it became a problem when I entered the workshop with 749 words, and I was advised to interview more people, I hit a wall. While I remain over that 750-word limit, I have spent a while searching for unnecessary information, but from what remains, I feel it is a decent feature, for my first go at least.

For the draft, I interviewed five people, four of whom appeared in the final. I interviewed the two Deans currently acting as the faces of the program, Millen being the creator of the rebranding, a current GUST student, a declared student, and a student who has switched majors more than once. Ultimately, the declared student added the least amount of information or storytelling to the feature on the undeclared program. With so much information, it proved tricky to cut down on words even after rereading many, many times. Other than condensing the word count and focusing on the angle, the remainder of the feature went relatively smoothly, with swift responses from those I interviewed or asked for a statement from, and switching my writing style to the journalistic approach was somewhat simple.

Workshop Reaction

I found that the most common piece of advice from the workshops was to add further perspectives, and general networking to incorporate into the features. During the final workshop, a comment from Finn provided Gage with a contact to potentially interview. As a journalist, it is vital to acquire contacts from any available sources, so Finn referring Gage to Bob Igel as a contact is a great interview opportunity. It was also mentioned that an additional perspective from a student would provide credibility in this piece since it is mainly a student issue. Another comment came from Kayleigh while the room discussed Brady’s work. She gave advice on adding to what is already there in the piece but could be expanded upon and even incorporated further perspectives and disciplines. Her comment suggested that Brady add more interviews from different departments and potentially someone on the hiring committee. I thought it was interesting when Professor Miller discussed the Iceberg theory about journalism. This came up when talking about finding leverage and obtaining information by asking specific and direct questions during interviews. In writing, this allows readers to make assumptions and “fill in the blanks” so that they fully understand the concept or “iceberg”.