DECISION-MAKING

Understanding your decision-making style will be useful in all areas of your life, but while you are undeclared it will be particularly important as you explore and decide upon a major.

How do you decide?  Do you go by how you feel about something or do you apply logic?  What kind of tools do you automatically revert to when trying to decide?

Here are some common styles of decision-making that can often be challenging; see if you find yourself represented (Dinklage, 1969).
 

Impulsive Decider	Takes the first alternative that is presented: “Don't look before you leap."
Fatalistic Decider	Lets the environment decide, leaving it up to fate: "Whatever will be will be."
Compliant Decider	Lets someone else decide or follows someone else's plan even if it goes against one's beliefs: "Anything you say.”
Delaying Decider	Delays thought and action on a problem: "I'll cross that bridge when I get to it."
Agonizing Decider	Gets lost in all the data and analysis: "I just can't make up my mind."
Intuitive Decider	Acts on a gut feeling that cannot be verbalized: "It feels right."
Paralytic Decider	Accepts responsibility for a decision but can't do much toward approaching it: "I know what I should do I just can't seem to do it."
Escapist Decider	Typically avoids a decision and may make up an answer just to deflect any question about a decision: "I'm thinking about pre-law" when the person has no idea what to major in.

Decision-making is a process and can take time.  It's okay to explore some options before making a decision.

Learn what some formally undeclared students have to say.