» Undeclared Students

The Inside Scoop: Being Undeclared

At Chapman, we embrace the unknown and appreciate the ability to experiment with different areas of study. In this podcast, Jaelyn talks about her experience being an undeclared student, how she declared her major, and advice for other students who aren’t quite sure about what they want to do yet.

Applying undeclared

There are 2 ways to apply to Chapman if you’re not sure which major you want to choose:

1. Pick “Undeclared” on your application. You’ll start at Chapman as Undeclared and you’ll have to declare a major before earning 60 credits (more on that further down!).
2. Pick a major that you think might interest you on your application. If you are seriously considering a major, we recommend you go ahead and apply as that major. You can always change it later if it is not the right fit for you. 

Not sure which option is right for you? Get in touch with your admission counselor. They’ll work with you and help you get on the right path.

Transferring in Undeclared

You can transfer to Chapman with an undeclared major as long as you transfer in with 60 credits or fewer from your previous school. If you have a major in mind as a transfer, we recommend you apply as that major. Visit the Transfer Resources page to learn more.

Living-Learning Communities for undeclared students

First-year students who live on campus are housed in Living Learning Communities, where they live with students with similar interests and majors. 

Undeclared students will share a room with other Undeclared students. These rooms will be interwoven throughout each housing community. That way, you can meet students from different academic disciplines and discover new fields.

Academic resources for undeclared students

If you enter Chapman Undeclared, you’ll get lots of support. Here's some of the the ways we'll help you: 

• Undeclared Advising: Your Undergradaute Advisor provides assistance to help you explore programs and find your major.
• Majors in Minutes: This annual event gives you the opportunity to learn about possible majors from students currently in those majors in a speed-dating format.
• Career and professional assessments: Chapman’s Career and Professional Development office can help you find a career that matches your interests and goals — and a major to match that career!

Chapman also offers over 190 student clubs that can help you discover your interests and how to leverage those to find a major.

Undeclared timeline

At Chapman, you’ll need to declare a major before you earn 60 credits. Earning 60 credits takes about 4 semesters (2 years).

Before the 60-credit mark, you'll focus on three things:

1. Completing your GE (general education) courses. GE courses are required courses that all students take, regardless of their major. In many cases, these courses help students narrow down their major/minor choices.
2. Taking major/minor exploration courses to better explore areas of interest. It is important to start discovering what you like (and what you don’t like).
3. Utilizing helpful resources and programming to learn about majors and careers.

There are tons of programs that you can participate in along the way to help you pick a major, like the Grand Challenges Initiative (GCI), a STEM program that lets you get hands-on experience with real STEM research.

And your admission counselor and academic advisor will be there to help every step of the way.

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