Reflection Questions: Degree Map
1. How do these degree maps relate to cultivating a sense of belonging at KSU and among other communities?
When I think about my degree; I usually feel stressed because of the amount of time It will take to complete it. When I finished my degree maps; I realized how many things I am going to have the opportunity to participate in. I want to rush this upcoming fall. I might have the chance to study abroad across the world for a year. I could experience my field firsthand in an internship program. I am also very excited to enroll in my Leadership and career electives. They are 0 credit hour courses that help you identify exactly what you want to do with your degree and career and what steps are needed to make you stand out. I thought that trying to earn a minor in French and Francophone studies would be too much work. However, since my major requires me to complete 12 credit hours of foreign language and a minor requires 15 with 3000 to 4000 level classes; I will only have to take a few more in order to earn a minor. I also believe it will be much easier to achieve this if I am fully emerged in the language for a full year which is why I want to study abroad for 2 semesters.
2. What campus resources will you use to help stay on track?
I believe my academic advisor is by far the most important tool I can use to stay on track for my degree completion. I was having trouble mapping out my degree so I went to my advisor at the Coles College of Business. She helped me understand which classes to take first and how to pace my general education courses throughout my degree so course load wouldn’t be as difficult. She also helped me understand a bit more about how study abroad works and what restrictions with class load come with the acceptance in an internship program. I also went to the NEST and my advisor helped me make a plan to enroll in my lower divisional core classes that are necessary for me to complete in order to apply for Coles College Professional Program. The study abroad office will also be crucial for me when I get closer to my expected study abroad semester. My advisor told me that for an exchange program (which is my preferred choice) requires a lot more paperwork which means that the department will be able to help me understand and organize that process. These departments have so many resources and I always feel less overwhelmed and more focused when I leave.
3. What did you discover as a result of this exercise?
I feel like I am less worried about the time is will take for me to graduate. I am more focused on the opportunities that I can be a part of. I knew I wanted to study abroad, but I now know exactly what program I want to participate in, what classes I want to take, and how to apply. I went to my academic advisor and they gave me more information on internships as well. She told me that I could only take 1 or 2 classes while doing an internship and many students decide to do internships in the Summer to satisfy their business elective requirement, but continue to enroll in regular hours in the Fall. This made it much easier for me to roadmap exactly how many classes I could take in the Summer time. Since I plan on doing an internship in the Summer and studying abroad for a year; I will have less time to take classes during that semester. This is one of the reasons I will not graduate till the beginning of my 5th year. It was terrifying to think about how long it was going to take to get my degree. However, I now realize I am willing to take that extra time in order to experience a full year abroad, participate in an internship program, and earn a minor in French and Francophone studies.
