EXPLORING RESOURCES

The Piper Center offers opportunities for students to discern their vocation and gain career-related experience while pursuing an undergraduate degree. Within each program are initiatives that promote the Piper Center’s mission to “provide resources and experiences designed to help students leverage their liberal arts education to achieve their full potential.” The Piper Center is a resource center for students, providing information and assistance to help determine vocational goals and devise well-informed post-graduation plans. Explore resources are for students with multiple interests, those who are undecided, those who haven't identified interests, those considering a change of major, and those interested in a well-rounded liberal arts perspective.

Key Principles — A Helpful Mindset

  • Don't let your education just happen to you, make an intentional and open exploration of your options. Celebrate the journey!

  • Don't set your sights on a narrow group of courses or subjects, but consider the type of skills you will need for the future to bring breadth and depth to your areas of interest.

  • Be open to an inspiration that will come from an unexpected course, an off-campus experience, or a conversation with peers and faculty.

  • Know that there are many ways to achieve the same goal or goals.

  • Ask for help when you feel that you are losing direction or need to make difficult choices.

Five Actions for Intentional Exploration

  • Visit with the Piper Center to test your VISA (values, interests, skills, and abilities) or talk with a coach or peer advisor.

  • Meet with your faculty advisor to organize a plan for exploring areas of interest through a variety of classes.

  • Meet with the Academic Advising Center (AAC) to help organize long and short-term schedule planning related to your exploration.

  • Go to the Piper Center's Assessing and Exploring Majors interactive website for strategies tailored specifically to where you are in the process of exploring.

  • Return to the Piper Center to plan experiential learning opportunities that complement your coursework.

On-Campus Resources

The Piper Center for Vocation and Career
Tomson Hall 270, x3268
Seeks to provide students with hands-on experiences that build on their academic program and feed into vocational pursuits after St. Olaf.

Specific Piper Center resources helpful to exploring students

Academic Advising Center (AAC)
Tomson Hall 141, x6797
Provides support in exploring academic goals with concerns related to advisers, requirements, and schedule planning.

Specific AAC resources helpful to exploring students

  • Schedule planning-helps create flexibility for exploring

  • Guidance on requirements for General Education, Majors, Concentrations, and Areas of Emphasis

  • Assistance with changing advisors

To use any of the above resources, stop in the AAC or call for an appointment.


Other On-Campus Resources