Professors, faculty and staff advised students who planned to change their majors at the School of General Studies Change of Major Fair located in the Grand Ballroom on Wednesday.
To maintain smooth transitions throughout the fair, students were given a change of major procedure card. The card allowed students to navigate the fair through a six-step process. The steps included sign-in and pick-up procedures, transcript pick up, change of major form completion and CLAST requirements check, visits at various academic major stations to discuss intended majors, complete change of major form and complete a satisfaction survey before exit.
Lisa Lang, director of the freshman and sophomore experience program, said in order to conduct the fair, letters were sent out to all deans and chairs of each department and college on campus for their participation. They also had to inform students of the opportunity to change their major.
By using the deans and chairs of colleges as medians, the School of General Studies was able to recruit students for the colleges that participated.
“[The Fair] is designed to be student friendly,” Lang said. “Because of the complex process, the fair was designed to be a one-stop shop for students to transition into the major of their choice.”
Costell Williams, the academic adviser of psychology, philosophy and religion and social work said she was pleased about the number of students who attended the fair.
“We put on this fair twice a year, once in the fall and once in the spring,” Williams said. “We’re always looking for new ways to get more students to attend.”
Williams said in order to produce a successful fair, planning begins in the summer. That leaves plenty of time for all last-minute decisions and proposals to be finalized.
Some students come to college with one major in mind but are sometimes persuaded to change it when they are informed of an alternative major.
Rashauna Christopher, 18, a freshman music production student from St. Croix, Virgin Islands, said she decided to change her major from music to business management.
“As an inspiring music producer, I decided that business management would be the better major for me,” Christopher said.
Christopher said she found the fair to be very informative and the staff to be very helpful with her decision-making.
“I was excited about my major change because I have a better chance of succeeding in life,” Christopher said.
She said she would recommend this opportunity to all of her schoolmates.