Madeleine Coles

News Editor

The Majors and Minors Fair will be held Oct. 11 in the ballroom of the student union building.

According to academic advisor Shawn Foley, the fair has been an annual event for around 20 years.

“It’s really designed for the academic departments to bring representatives to the students, instead of the other way around,” Foley said.

Although all departments are invited, the ballroom can only hold about 65, so it’s first come, first serve.

Foley said the fair is for more than just students who are undecided about their major.

“[Undecided students] can know about the options available to them and get inside information from those departments,” he said. “Also we hope that students will learn about the competitive advantage of adding a minor to their major of choice, to make them stand out or to give them a greater depth of knowledge in a particular area.”

Previously, the university invited seniors from local high schools to the fair to encourage them to consider what they want to do in college. However, no high school students will be attending this year.

Foley estimates around 500 students will attend the fair, ranging from freshmen to even seniors.

“There’s a lot of freshmen and sophomores,” Foley said. “Juniors, if they’re thinking about adding a minor sometimes come. There’s not very many seniors, but they’re welcome to attend.”

The fair will feature food as well as multiple prizes, including a $200 textbook scholarship from the bookstore.

But Foley said the most important part of the fair will be the opportunity for students to get to know the different options available to them at the university, as many students can remain undecided majors for some time.

“A lot of times students may be misinformed, so they may be afraid of the requirements of a particular major,” Foley said. “Some people get really hung up on having to pick the perfect thing. And a lot of students don’t know their skills and strengths and where those fit in with career fields. So between those things, it can be really difficult for students.”

He added that the Majors and Minors fair is a unique opportunity for students to receive in depth education on departments they may be interested in, including talking to professors within the departments about why they should consider that major.

And while choosing a major is often the primary goal of students attending the fair, Foley said it can also help them better understand minors and whether or not a student should pursue a minor.

“[Students] are really focused on the main prize of picking their major, so a lot of times it’s in the back of their head,” he said. “But they might not really understand what a minor is.”

Additionally, many majors require so many credits, students might not have enough room to add a minor if they wish to graduate within four years, according to Foley. But, he said, the Majors and Minors fair is the perfect place for students to decide what is the right option for them.