Students
find direction, advice at Major Fair
By Tanna Rozar
Online Forty Niner
Contributing Writer
Cal State Long Beach students gathered outside the University Student Union Wednesday
to explore different departments and career options at the Major Fair.
“
It brings departments out of their offices [to] where the students are,” said
Kenneth Kelly, Major Fair director.
Student Transition and Retention Services/Student Orientation, Advising, and
Registration (STAR/SOAR) puts on the major fair every fall and spring in so department
representatives can offer students information about the different majors available.
From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, students walked around and went to different
department tables and picked up worksheets and handouts about majors of interest.
Department tables included English, psychology, sociology, classics, communications,
human development, business and many others.
Students looking to declare or change their majors went to various tables and
received information about the department, majors in that department, how to
get into a specific major, the requirements for a major and contact information
for the department. Students also found out which majors are impacted, how certain
majors relate to others and other outside school requirements for a major.
There were 24 departments present at the fair. If a student’s department
of interest was not there, that student could pick up a general information form
about the department including its contact information, or the student could
fill out another form giving his or her e-mail address and student ID number
and a letter would be sent to that department notifying them of the students’ interest,
Kelly said.
“
It’s just nice to know this stuff so I’m not surprised later,” said
Tina Thomas, a sophomore who is going to be a nursing major.
Other students who already declared their major went to the event to visit the
Career Development Center’s table where they received information about
the possible career options and available internships and jobs.
“
I want[ed] to declare my major in psychology, but I also wanted to look at job
options,” said Christina Tran, an undeclared sophomore.
“
I was interested in journalism, but they didn’t have a table so I talked
to the English department and they gave me the contact information,” said
Dylan Meloserdoff, an undeclared sophomore.
In addition to all the department tables and information being handed out, the
fair also had a barbecue and offered a free lunch to any student who visited
three department tables and got the department representative’s signature.
“
The barbecue is to entice students to check out all the different departments
and majors,” said Annabelle Cariaga, a program coordinator. “It’s
our marketing device.”
Kelly said a couple of years ago he was talking to a student leader who was trying
to change his major and was having a hard time. He thought if a student who is
leader is having trouble, than others must be too. Since then Kelly and STAR/SOAR
have been putting on the Major Fair every semester so students can learn about
all the different majors offered and can see what they might interest in.
“
It’s a good idea, and I like how they have it every semester,” said
Daniel Palacio, a sophomore sociology major who might change to linguists. “It’s
a quick guidance.”
The Major Fair is open to all students but it mainly targets undeclared sophomores
who must declare their majors after they complete 60 units Kelly said. The STAR/SOAR
sent out e-mails and 1,000 postcards randomly to sophomore students to tell them
about of the event, program coordinators said.
The Major Fair is usually a two-day event but because of the rain the first day
of the event was cancelled.
Despite the events cancellation on Tuesday, the Major Fair had a good turn out
yesterday, according to Cariaga.
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