Exploratory students explore. University College’s Exploratory Program at Kent State University is designed to provide students with information about different majors at the university and to teach them about on-campus resources available to them.
The Exploratory Lounge, located on the first floor of Lake Hall, is the space made just for these activities. In the lounge, students are able to learn about majors and services by talking with Exploratory mentors, who can help students make informed decisions.
Exploratory students who do not live in Lake Hall can access the lounge through the Center for Undergraduate Excellence.
Students can sit in one of the many seating options in the lounge. The lounge has board games and a TV, plus students can enjoy hot chocolate, coffee, tea and apple cider or they can choose a snack from the fully stocked snack bin.
Seven mentors have set lounge hours for the convenience of the students. During lounge hours, the mentors hang out with Exploratory students, talk to them about different majors they are interested in or point students to other on-campus resources.
Megan Burnett, senior human development and family studies major from Columbus, is one of the seven mentors available at the Exploratory Lounge.
Burnett understands the situation of Exploratory students. She was once a freshman exploratory major who also took advantage of the lounge. Talking with the mentors in the lounge was how Burnett discovered Kent State’s human development and family studies program (HDFS).
After declaring her major in HDFS, Burnett realized she was not ready to leave the program that had given her so much support during her time as an exploratory major.
“I realized I loved the program so much, I wasn't ready to say bye to it; I knew I wanted to become a mentor,” Burnett said. She has been a mentor for two years now.
Burnett’s favorite part of being a mentor in the program is “being able to see the students grow throughout the beginning of their freshman year and watching them go into their second semester, seeing how much more confident they are and how they’re figuring out their major.”
The Exploratory Lounge is a place dedicated to students. It’s a place where students can come get guidance about potential majors they want to declare, hang out with the mentors or just have a break from a busy school day.
“It’s their space,” Burnett said. “We want it to feel like a lounge and a place students can come in to just hang out and if they have questions. We're here to help them, but if they want to just play a board game, that's what we're here for too.”
To learn more, visit the Exploratory Learning Community or find information on the Exploratory Lounge hours.