Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall studied dentistry in college, “The Daily Show” host Jon Stewart majored in psychology and former Secretary of State Colin Powell received a bachelor of science in geology. You never know how things may turn out. That’s one of the messages that academic adviser Patrick Godbey conveys to first-year students uncertain of their academic and professional goals.

“Sometimes freshmen say, ‘I need help narrowing down my options,” says Godbey. “My response is, ‘Actually, you need help exploring those options — let’s talk about that.’”

Godbey, along with colleague Katherine Johnston, specializes in advising students who are undecided about their majors. In doing so, the two are more than simply “catalog cops” who tell students what courses they can and cannot take.

“We do help them with course selection, but we do more than that. Our job is to help our advisees to take ownership of their educations, to tap into their intellectual curiosity and to make informed decisions,” says Godbey. Such advising is focused on supporting students as they develop an academic plan that incorporates an array of decisions about majors and minors, internships, study abroad and professional goals.

The process of creating a student’s academic plan is not unlike that of creating a Polaroid picture, says Godbey. “At first you don’t see anything, but it slowly begins to develop.”

According to the National Academic Advising Association, nearly 75 percent of undergraduates in the United States change their majors at least once.

“There are more undeclared students out there than you know,” says Godbey.

Through one-on-one-guidance and EXPLORE, the major/career exploration workshops conducted by the Academic Advising Center, students are encouraged not only to acquaint themselves with Tulane’s offerings but to get to know themselves better.

“A good academic plan is a kind of mirror. It reflects the student’s strengths and interests as well as his or her academic and professional goals,” says Godbey.