Academically Advanced,Developmentally Ill-Equipped:

Advising Exceptional Students in Decision Making Skills

Julia Vincent, Associate Director of Academic Advising CenterStephanie Begaye, Assistant Director of Major Exploration Program

Juliana Espinosa, Engagement and Inclusion Librarian

Agenda● High achieving students● Generation Z and their parents● Commonly earned credits (AP, IB, CE)● Advantages & challenges● Decision making strategies● Question bank● Best practices● Q&A

The Inspiration

University of Utah & the Academic Advising Center

Utah’s Flagship UniversityResearch 1 UniversityPAC-12 Conference

Spring 2019:22,225 undergrads6,442 Pre Major Students1,638 Undeclared Students

Academic Advising Center

High Achieving College Students

● Completed pre-college credits● Focused on building college

resume ● Parental support/pressure● Involvement and return on

investment

Gen Z & Gen Z Parents

● Digital natives● Instant gratification● Influenced by social media & peers● Personal achievers● Money savers

● Gen X and Xennials● Drone parents ● Pioneer parents● Return on investment

Parents of Gen Zers

● Generation X (‘65-’76) and Xennials (‘77-’83)

● Helicopter parents ● Pioneer parents● Return on investment

Commonly Earned Credits

Completed AP coursework in 2018:28,304 Utah students66,130 Michigan students35,094 Kentucky students2.8 million AP students nationwide

87,957 IB candidates in the US during 2018 28,187 IB diplomas were awarded

268,357 CE credit earned during 2017-2018

Advantages of Entering with College Credit

● Money● College credit● Early college exposure● College readiness● College access● Prestige

Challenges of Entering with College Credit

● Readiness factor● Major choice● Duplicate credit● Financial aid

Side Note on Neurology

Decision Making Strategies● Procrastinator: I know I must make a decision but

will put it off as long as possible

● Impulsive: I take the first choice that seems reasonable without looking at other options or collecting information

● Agonizing: I have invested so much time and thought into this decision that I feel overwhelmed and can't decide

Decision Making Strategies● Compliant: I think it is best if someone else who

knows more about the subject (parents, teacher, advisor) makes the decision for me

● Intuitive: I will make a decision when it feels right. This can be a decision where someone is deciding with “their heart” not their head

● Planful: I will make a decision based on an orderly, rational process that requires solid information, reflection, and involves both thinking and feeling

Identifying your student’s strategy

What is their decision making style?

● Procrastinator● Impulsive● Agonizing● Compliant● Intuitive● Planful

MattMatt has declared his major in pre-architecture. He has completed all of the required prerequisites and prepared a portfolio to be reviewed for admissions to the major. Last summer he did an internship with a local architecture firm where he was able to network with practicing architects and he was able to explore residential and commercial design. Upon completing the undergraduate major in Architecture Matt plans to apply to the graduate programs that specialize in commercial design.

MariaMaria is currently enrolled in Art History since her mom said it was her favorite class in college. Maria is earning her first D grade since she would rather be doing art, than listening about art, and is mad at her mom for making her register for the class. She wants to meet with you to ask about dropping the class and how to tell her mom she’s dropping it.

SuzySuzy is a sophomore student who knows that she wants to major in Business. When asked why she’s interested in Business and which area or focus within Business she’s wanting to pursue (Marketing, Finance, Management, etc.), she responds with “I don’t know. I was undecided last year and just decided that Business was the right fit for me. I want to have a degree that guarantees me a job in the future and Business feels like the best way to do that.”

GabrielGabriel is required to study a foreign language as part of his bachelor of arts requirement but isn’t sure what language he wants to study and hated his AP Spanish class. Gabriel thinks his registration date is coming up and hasn’t looked at the schedule of classes yet. He emailed you to ask which languages are being offered next semester.

TannerTanner has always known he wants to be an anesthesiologist- his neighbor is an anesthesiologist and loves her job! Tanner thinks it sounds like a great job where he can help people. He is planning on majoring in Engineering as his brother is majoring in Engineering. He has taken AP Art History, AP Psych, AP Calc, AP Human Geography, concurrent writing and concurrent Math 1050. He is in your office to talk about what classes to take next Fall semester.

HavenHaven is in her third semester and has taken courses from a wide range of departments. She’s enjoyed all of her classes so far and mentions that she’s interested in the following programs: Kinesiology, Psychology, Communication, Biology, Human Development and Political Science. She’s also considering continuing on to Medical School or even possibly Law School. She’s feeling overwhelmed by all of her options and is seeking help in choosing the right classes for next semester.

Identifying your student’s strategy

GabrielProcrastinator

HavenAgonizing

TannerImpulsive

MariaCompliant

MattPlanful

SuzyIntuitive

Questions to Start the ConversationWHYWhy are you in college?What experience do you have with _______? Do you have a dream job in mind? Tell me more.Motivations in schoolWhat sort of lifestyle do you want?When you are having a really hard time what do you do to push through that time?Do you identify as a big picture thinker? Futuristic? Realist? Detail Oriented? Planner?What if you weren’t doing ______? What would that look like?How do you organize yourself and manage your time? How should we proceed?What do you do in your free time that moves you toward your goal?

Quick Start Guide: ● Reflect on past life decision● What strategy did you use to

make that decision?● What are some of the

positive aspects of that strategy?

● What are some of the drawbacks?

● Would you use a different decision making strategy now?

Best Practices with StudentsProcrastinator:● Action planning and setting goals

Agonizing:● Write It Out- what is the worst case scenario?

Impulsive:● Remind students that they have “bought themselves” time

Compliant:● Role Play- Coach students on how these conversation

may goIntuitive:● Return on Investment Conversation- Explain worth and

value of previous credit

Best Practices with Parents

● Coach parents on developmental milestones● Ally, not cause of stress● Include, not exclude

Post Conference Question: What else works for you?

Thank you!Questions?

University of UtahStephanie Begaye sbegaye@advising.utah.edu

Julia Vincent jvincent@advising.utah.edu

Western Michigan UniversityJuliana Espinosa juliana.espinosa@wmich.edu

ReferencesAP Program Participation and Performance Data 2018 – Research – College Board. (n.d.). Retrieved October 8, 2019, from https://research.collegeboard.org/programs/ap/data/archived/ap-2018.

Curran, T., & Hill, A. P. (2017, December 28). Perfectionism Is Increasing Over Time: A MetaAnalysis of Birth Cohort Differences From 1989 to 2016. Psychological Bulletin. Advance online publication. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/bul0000138

Gordon, V. N., & Sears, S. J. (2004). Selecting a college major: exploration and decision making. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Tisinger,D. & Murphy, J. (2007, December). Academically advanced, developmentally ill-equipped: Helping young advanced students find their places. Academic Advising Today, 30(4). Retrieved from Nacada.utah.edu

Further ReadingsJay, M. (2016). Defining decade - why your twenties matter and how to make the most of them. Canongate Books Ltd.

National Alliance of Concurrent Enrollment Partnerships (NACEP) Standardshttp://www.nacep.org/accreditation/standards/

Speroni, C. (2011, December). High School Dual Enrollment Programs: Are We Fast-Tracking Students Too Fast? Retrieved October 8, 2019, from http://www.postsecondaryresearch.org/publications/Speroni_NCPR_DualEnrollment_RegressionDiscontinuity.pdf.