Life Design at BGSU: Changing the narrative for undecided students

91% of students declared a major or narrowed their choices after a single semester

The innovative Life Design program at Bowling Green State University is helping undecided students define their futures at impressive rates, a key part of the program's broader mission to transform the undergraduate experience. 

During Fall 2024, 91% of students who actively engaged with a Life Design coach and took the program’s introductory BGSU 1910 course either declared a major or narrowed down their choices to between one and three majors after just one semester. 

“Life Design is an intentional process that, through the framework of design thinking, helps students identify their interests and skills to confidently design their path forward,” said Adrienne Ausdenmoore, assistant vice president and executive director of the Geoffrey H. Radbill Center for College and Life Design. “We’re changing the narrative of what it means to enroll in college undecided. Life Design equips students with essential building blocks to create a solid foundation for their careers and lives.” 

Since Life Design launched at BGSU in 2020, it has steadily expanded across the University, supporting thousands of undergraduate students in all stages of their college journey and becoming a recognizable differentiator of student success.  

Within the Life Design program, BGSU students learn to maximize their academic experience, prioritize their well-being, build connections that foster an invaluable network during college and jump-start their careers before graduation — all with a sense of purpose and forward momentum. 

A low-pressure environment

Recognizing the stigma often associated with not declaring a major, the Life Design team established a BGSU 1910 course specifically for students in the University’s Deciding Student Program.  

Kim Zilmer, a senior Life Design coach, said the goal was to create a low-pressure environment in which students felt comfortable with their decision to fully explore their academic curiosities without judgment. The curriculum mirrors what students learn in the traditional BGSU 1910 course, with elements tailored to help them find a major.  

“When students arrive at college, their major often becomes a large part of their identity, and when they don’t have that, it can feel overwhelming,” Zilmer said. “Through this course, we’re creating a community of deciding students and helping them recognize they aren’t alone.”  

Student success

Ella Dedes ‘25, who recently graduated, can attest to those uneasy feelings. She was the only one of her five roommates her freshman year who hadn’t declared a major. 

“There were definitely moments of feeling like an outsider because I didn’t have my life all figured out that first semester,” Dedes said. 

Although the BGSU 1910 course for deciding students hadn’t yet been established during Dedes’ freshman year, she learned the Life Design framework through a leadership course, one of the many courses the program has been integrated into as it has grown and evolved during the past five years. 

From there, she connected with a Life Design coach, who helped her narrow her focus and introduced her to a student majoring in communication disorders. Dedes continued her exploration by shadowing a professional speech-language pathologist. 

“With guidance from my Life Design coach and those prototyping experiences, I was able to confidently make a decision about my major,” Dedes said. “Life Design is really good at meeting students where they are and helping them take productive steps to get them to their end goal.” 

Dedes will begin graduate school in the fall at Purdue University, pursuing a master’s degree in speech-language pathology. 

Continued impact

While students’ paths through Life Design are unique, the process is intentionally designed to help students build a toolkit to navigate the challenges they encounter to succeed in college and life. 

In addition to the introductory BGSU 1910 course, students are paired with a Life Design coach, who serves as a guidepost, helping them work toward their personal and professional goals as they explore, prototype and plan their futures. 

To align with the experiences of various populations on campus, the Life Design curriculum from the first-year seminar BGSU 1910 has been integrated into numerous courses, including business, criminal justice, leadership and others, as well as programs such as the Honors College, Thompson Scholars and BGSU Athletics.

BGSU has introduced Life Design to more than 75% of first-year students, with a continued goal of reaching 100%.