Ever considered switching your major? Students from all across campus gathered in the Williams Auditorium lobby on Thursday, Oct. 9 for the inaugural “Major, Minors, & More Expo” to meet with other students, faculty and program coordinators from the College of Arts and Sciences.
“When you’re in a major that doesn’t fit, it’s like wearing clothes that don’t fit,” Anne Marie Gillespie, Director of Student Academic Affairs said. “So we’d like to give an overview of what’s going on in the College of Arts and Sciences.”
Students and professors represented their majors at tables throughout the lobby. Each table had informational displays and pamphlets about academic course offerings. FSU Dining Services catered the event with various snack foods while free candy, pens and sunglasses were scattered throughout the Williams lobby.
Attending the event was Christina King, an undeclared freshman. “I want to major in social work and minor in psychology,” King said while reading through information at the psychology table. “This is information I definitely need.”
Gillespie said that Ferris is a unique University in that “we have many students that declare their majors as freshmen. We have students who come in and go ‘this isn’t exactly what I thought it was going to be.’ This is that opportunity for them if they are having second thoughts or if they want to add something to their credentials, that they’re able to do that.”
Rick Kurtz, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said, “The biggest thing is, it’s great opportunity for our faculty and our programs to really engage with the students.”
“For a first-time event, we’re very pleased.” Kurtz said that “the students are shopping, for lack of a better term, for programs of interest. This event gives them that opportunity.”
As the scheduling of spring classes begins, the event couldn’t be timelier. Gillespie stresses that degree progression is important so that students aren’t wasting time and money. “We want to get students connected to the people that they need to talk to, because if you are in the wrong major, you’re not happy,” Gillespie said. “If you’re excited [about your major], then you’re going to finish.”
For more information, go to ‘Academics’ on the Ferris website at www.ferris.edu.