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The Albright Alpha Program
(For Undecided/Undeclared Students)
Some students enter college knowing exactly what they want to major in and exactly what career field they want to enter upon graduation. For many, however, things are a little less certain, and they may need to explore different possibilities to find the right fit. If the second profile describes you, then the Alpha Program at Albright College is designed for you. Through a structured package of academic guidance, peer support, special events and career counseling, the Alpha Program will help you choose the appropriate major and find a fulfilling career.
What is the Alpha Program?
The Albright Alpha Program is available to all first-year and sophomore students who have not declared a concentration (major). Each Alpha student is assigned a faculty adviser specially chosen to counsel undeclared students. The Alpha Program provides academic guidance, activities, peer support and career counseling to help students learn about the programs of study the College offers, the careers these may lead to, and their own interests and goals. Alpha’s goal is to help students explore the world of knowledge and themselves in order to make better-informed choices among academic concentrations.
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What Does It Mean to Be “Undeclared”?
Alpha, the first letter in the Greek alphabet, symbolizes a beginning. First-year college students experience one of the most exciting and, at the same time, potentially bewildering "beginnings" of their lives. The Alpha Program is meant to serve the needs of the many students who have yet to settle on a concentration, for whatever reason. Perhaps you have a difficult time choosing among many interests or you want to explore some options before deciding on a program. Or, maybe you feel pressured to choose a concentration but don’t feel ready.
Albright wants to emphasize that it’s fine for students to enter college without a clear idea of which academic program they wish to pursue and what their ultimate career will be. Even those who enter with certainties often find themselves in transition between majors more than once as their studies progress. Nationally, about 70% of students end up changing their major. Being undeclared and/or undecided isn’t a cause for panic, for you or your parents! The opportunity for academic exploration is a unique life opportunity, and it is central to the educational experience at a liberal arts college like Albright.
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What Can You Expect as an Alpha Student?
Gradually Alpha students define their academic interests more clearly and select an area of concentration that will provide learning in depth to complement the learning in breadth that comes with a liberal arts program’s general education courses. The Alpha Program provides tools and strategies to facilitate this process.
One tool is regular meetings with your Alpha adviser, who together with the registrar and others can work with you to select a program that provides broad exposure to many different fields and keeps curricular options as open as possible. Alpha students take courses in a wide variety of academic disciplines, meet a diverse group of faculty who present new knowledge and new perspectives, and may talk endlessly with new friends about all aspects of their college experience.
The Career Development Center also plays an important role in this process, helping students identify their strengths and interests, learn about potential careers, and even undertake internships that help them define their goals. The Career Center welcomes one-on-one contact with students, sponsors events like the ones described below, and supports an academic course, SPI 125, "Career Decision Making," designed especially for Alpha students.
Alpha students are also invited to events that are social occasions for meeting one another and exchanging ideas and provide substantive opportunities to learn about declaring a concentration. Events may include the following:
- workshops on choosing a concentration
- a panel of formerly undecided students who relate their experiences and offer advice
- a “fair” that brings together faculty from many different academic departments for conversation about their discipline and the careers they often lead to
- a small panel of faculty might discuss particular academic programs at Albright
- sessions to take an interest-defining survey and discuss the results
- life-planning workshops focused on defining interests, values, abilities and goals
- speakers or films especially pertinent to the interests and needs of undecided students
The Alpha Program cultivates self-direction and responsibility in its students and provides assistance and opportunities. Another important tool is the “Alpha Advising Syllabus,” which sets some expectations for you to meet in using the help made available to you as an Alpha student by, for example, attending meetings with your advisor and Career Center events. This will be co-signed by you and your advisor at your first meeting.
Individual counseling is always available from the director of the Albright Alpha Program and the Career Development Center, as well as from the Counseling Center and the Academic Learning Center. Once you have declared a concentration, you will be assigned an advisor from that academic department. However, many Alpha students find that their Alpha advisor remains a welcome resource for them throughout their career at Albright.
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Listen to our graduates
“When I started at Albright, I was clueless. The Alpha Program really came through for me. With my advisor’s help, I put together a diverse academic program that gave me a broad background and a push in the right direction. I gained a liberal arts foundation that I depend on every day in my business and in my life.”
Steve Topp
Major: Business Management;
President, Marchon Eyewear - On Top Corp.
“The Alpha Program helped me explore Albright’s academic possibilities and let me try a little bit of everything before I picked my major. I ended up taking courses I wouldn’t have tried otherwise. One in particular, an interdisciplinary study in the Bahamas in biology and chemistry, shaped my decision to become a biology major. Alpha is something that is unique to Albright, and it certainly weighed in my decision to come here.”
Andrew Coviello
Major: Biology/History
“I owe a lot to Albright and its Alpha Program. I had a strong interest in political science when I started there, but I also like psychology. The Alpha Program enabled me to thoroughly explore the curriculum to decide which major best suited me. Of course, there’s much more to Alpha. My advisor and I had a lengthy discussion about the law and political science which inspired me to go on to law school. Alpha really takes you where you want to go.”
Alison Carrigan, J.D.
Major: Political Science, Summa Cum Laude
Judicial Clerk, State of New Jersey
“I didn’t want to pick a major that I might later change, so Alpha was perfect for me. I knew I was interested in art, but I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to be only an art major or to add another major. Through Alpha, I hooked up with a professor in communications who told me his field would work well with my art focus. My advisor was fabulous and always there for me.”
Andrea Verdone
Major: Art/Communications
Production Coordinator, Soap Opera Digest, New York
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Alpha Events – Fall 2009
August 28: Meet with your advisor during Orientation (10-12 a.m.)
September 15: Reception for Alpha Students and Advisors, Campus Center – CFA Mezzanine (6-7 p.m., immediately before the Strong Interest Inventory)
Events and Resources from the Career Development Center
Strong Interest Inventory: Based on Holland’s RIASEC theory of personality types and work environments, provides a framework for matching college students with satisfying majors, for exploring career fields and occupations, for addressing job search and career adjustment concerns, and for determining career development issues.
Tuesday September 15 7 p.m. Location to be announced
Wednesday September 30 7 p.m. North Hall
Thursday October 8 4 p.m. Career Development Center
How to Choose your Concentration: Workshop for small-to-medium groups reviewing decision-making strategies, self-assessments, Albright’s concentrations, factors to consider when making decisions, etc.
Tuesday September 22 4 & 7 p.m. Career Dev. Ctr. (4 p.m.); North Hall (7 p.m.)
Wednesday October 14 4:00 p.m. Career Development Center
Tuesday November 17 4 & 7 p.m. Career Dev. Ctr. (4 p.m.); Location to be
announced (7 p.m.)
Concentration Fair: Departments will rotate faculty members and upper-class students to talk to undecided/Alpha students about what the concentration is like and requirements, etc., prior to advising and registration for the spring semester.
Tuesday October 27 11:30 a.m.- 2:30 p.m. Campus Center Main Lounge
What Can I Do With a Concentration In…? Panel Discussions
Music Business: Wednesday, October 14th, 6:30 p.m., Campus Center South Lounge
Marketing: Tuesday, October 27th, 6:30 p.m., Campus Center South Lounge
Resource: “What Can I Do With a Concentration In…?” Handouts
Found under each department’s web site page or at http://www.albright.edu/academics/wcidwam/index.html
This is a handout that describes the Albright College concentration (from the catalog) and provides various career options, information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, ways to enter the career(s), and career, job and internship resources available on campus and on the web.
Resource: SPI 125, Career Decision-Making
This course is offered to assist first- and second-year students in their concentration and career decision-making process. Students who enroll in this highly participatory seminar will engage in a variety of activities and assessments designed to bring decisions regarding their concentration and career into sharper focus. It is a full course that counts for elective credit. Consult with the Career Center about scheduling.
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