TumblrCampus hosts fourth annual Major/Minor Fair
On Monday, September 27 and Thursday, September 30, Rutgers-Camden hosted the Majors and Minors Fair for new and returning students in the Multipurpose Room during the free period. It is now the fourth annual Major and Minor Fair presented to students in need of guidance for their academic plans. Showcased were the School of Arts and Science’s 28 majors and 50 minors, and the School of Business’s 5 majors and 7 minors. The Major and Minors fair was sponsored by both the Office of Academic Advising and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
Students were able to individually meet the head of each division and various representatives, and learn what they could choose as a major, as well as what they would be required to do in order to obtain their degree. The face-to-face meetings helped students to decipher in which departments they could achieve a major, and in which programs they could only work towards a minor. Students then were given instructions on how to declare their respective majors and minors. The process has recently been simplified by putting the declaration process online. Now, you simply need to log on to the Registrar’s website, and select their desired program there. This brings far more convenience to students than past processes in which students would need to go to the department in person to declare their major.
Papers stating the requirements (such as classes needed to complete and experience) for a major or minor can be found in the Office of Academic Advisement, which is in Armitage Hall. For the sake of convenience, most departments gave out the same pamphlets at the event. The event helped if students were not sure if the classes they were already taking could be used to fill up said requirements.
Both days that the Majors and Minors fair was held experienced low student turnout over the course of the hour long program.
“While the fair has not created a big increase for students to declare your major,” said Jennifer Thiel from Academic Advising, “it is still helpful for students to know what they can major or minor in, and it adds a face to the whole measure.”
Many students who were interviewed by Gleaner staff during the course of the event admitted that they could not decide on a major. Other attendees claimed that they had decided to check out the event for reasons spanning from hunger to hopeful goals of finding a program that would fit their desired occupation.Many of the the students interviewed claim an undecided major, while reasons for attendance varied from the hungry to the hopeful. Many of the the students interviewed claim an undecided major, while reasons for attendance varied from the hungry to the hopeful. Still, most unanimously agreed that going to the event was beneficial for their future plans, and made the process of deciding their major or minor much easier.
One student, Chris McCarthy, stated, “I have not yet decided on my major, and this fair is a great help.”
Another student, Nika Steele, stated, “I am a transfer student, but this is very helpful if you want to change your major, or have not decided yet.”
One representative, Professor Gerard Verbrugghe, who showcased the school’s History Department, described the event by saying, “This is a great opportunity; it gives the students a face-to-face experience, and makes the choice of finding a major much easier.”
Representatives from all departments were in attendance, just in case students needed advice on what major would be best for them or whether they would be able to major in what they wanted.
Thursday’s version of the major and minor fair had a modest turnout, with tables set up for the History, Social Work, and Foreign Language departments among others. The Registrar’s office and the Career Center also held tables filled with information ready to be given to students.
At the Career Center table, there were pamphlets on what careers could be achieved with many of the most popular academic majors offered on campus. Potential careers ranged from Financial Advising, Law, or Contract Specialists for Political Science majors to Mortgage counseling, Human resources coordination, and credit analyst for Economics majors. They also offered tools online such as SIGI 3, which helps students examine their work related values, interests, personality type, and different skill sets to help them find a career sector that would best suit them. Students can then take this information and through Career Counseling, (which is also offered at the Career Center), can be directed towards major and minor programs in a combination that would best benefit their needs for relevancy in their desired employment field.
