Second Year Advising Goals

You've made it through your first year and are likely beginning your sophomore year with a better understanding of yourself and the many possibilities open to you! Sophomore year is a time to further clarify both your goals and your plans, and to ensure that you are devising an academic plan that reflects your aspirations, career goals, and individuality. Strive to meet these goals in your second year:

1. Have you decided which major to pursue? If not, do you have it narrowed down to two or three? Evaluate your progress toward the majors you're interested in, to ensure you are on track both to declare the major by the end of your second year, and to ensure you can graduate in the major in a timely manner. You must be formally declared in a major by the time you enroll for your third-year classes -- if you think you may not be on track for this, contact an advisor at your college as early in the year as possible.

2. Use the Degree Progress Report (DPR) in MyUCSC to check your progress in terms of general education and other campus-wide requirements.

3. Dig deeper into your major choice and possible career plans by researching the connections between the major(s) you're interested in and the world of work. Although you certainly don't need to be clear about your career at this point, having a sense of the possible directions you may go in can both help you devise an academic plan that will support those directions and can increase your motivation to succeed. Most majors at UCSC are not connected to a specific career field, but can lead to a variety of possible careers.

4. Research and plan for educational opportunities within the university's formal curriculum and beyond it. Participating in programs such as Global Learning, the Intercampus Visitor Program, etc. can take some planning, so it's important you learn about them now.