For many sophomores, the next two weeks are crucial for narrowing down the list of 40-plus possible majors to the one that will appear on future resumes. One avenue for assistance was last week's majors fair in the Campus Center, designed after a poll last year indicated that 30 percent of students surveyed decided on their academic concentration based on conversations with upperclassmen. Many students, however, did not take advantage of the week-long fair.
Most were not aware that a majors fair was taking place, mostly due to the lack of advertising and exposure.
"The response was non-existent for the time I was there," senior Leah Friedberg said. "I think the intended function is great, however, nobody took advantage of the opportunity." Friedberg was one of many seniors who volunteered their time to inform underclassmen about the ups and downs of various majors.
The lack of attendance might be due to the fact that many sophomores are given alternate avenues to explore future majors. Almost every major has specific events to help sophomores meet professors and talk with seniors. As a result, the majors fair seemed more appropriate for freshman trying to get an idea of what they might start concentrating on next year. Friedberg suggested that the fair should be a mandatory component of freshmen orientation week.
Another suggestion was to have the fair in the dining halls, with a more festive atmosphere. Jenny Fisher, another senior volunteer, says that the fair should be more of a "fun, interactive experience," and that there should be more of an advertising effort.
Career Services assistant Nicole Anderson, who organized the fair, agrees that the interest in the event was not that great this year. She would consider changing the location and the time of year the fair takes place. Anderson is open to the idea of having the fair during orientation week, and welcomes any constructive criticism about improvements.
"Based on the responses from the students who I talked to, students were really relieved and less stressed out by talking with us," Anderson said. "In my opinion, I did not get to reach out to as many students as I would have liked."
The students that did attend, however, left with new insight. Sophomore Ben Hsu, a probable bio-psychology major, says that after he spoke with seniors at the biology table he had a better idea of which professors specialize in each subject. He thought the majors fair was successful.
According to Anderson, students should avoid rushing to major in subjects they're not excited about. She advises students to decide their majors based on what they are really excited to study.
"If you feel like you have to major in biology in order to go to medical school, but at the same time do not like biology, then you will not get a good GPA, you will not enjoy college, and ultimately, you may not get accepted to medical school," Anderson said.
According to Anderson, the structure of the majors, where undecided students can pick the brains of established majors, is successful.
"Developmentally, it makes sense to talk with peers first and build your confidence," she said. Anderson added that the majors fair was designed to help students get over the intimidation of walking into a department and asking questions like, "Which classes require the most reading?" and "How do I double major and study abroad?"
