When the Compass Year program launched in 2019, advisors Beth Felch and Katie Dougherty set out to provide strong resources and guidance to first-year students who have yet to declare a major.
This yearlong program for first-year students involves intensive career exploration through specialized courses, strategic advising, and personalized guidance that enables students to discover the best career and educational path for them.
The first cohort consisted of 16 students. Today there are 25 students enrolled in the program, representing a 56 percent student increase. Next year, Mount Mary anticipates enrolling 30 students in this program.
The semester starts with a three-day summer jump start to introduce students to their cohort and advisors. Each semester, students take career and major exploration classes alongside their regular academic classes. As the semester concludes, students should feel confident enough to make a decision on their majors.
The premise of the program, to identify a major, has indeed proven successful. In the first semester of the program, over 62 percent of students chose their majors. By the end of the year, only one student decided to remain undecided, and she has continued to take advantage of the services Advising and Career Development offers.
This fall, Mount Mary began offering $1,000 scholarships to students who enter the Compass Year program.
“I’m 100 percent confident that any woman who starts in Compass will come out set for success,” said Kaitlyn McKnight, who completed her Compass Year in 2020.
Sophomore Taylor Robinson of Milwaukee was undecided when she enrolled at Mount Mary. After a yearlong discernment process through the Compass Year program, she is pursuing a major in psychology.