Lirona Joshi
Staff Writer
Zenith Shrestha
Photographer
Troy University Career Services organized the annual Major Madness fair for the 2018 academic year, where 40 different majors and minors were represented.
Faculty from different departments interacted with the students on site at Trojan Arena on Wednesday, March 7.
The fair provides an opportunity for students to converse with faculty members who are experts in their respective fields. This allows students to explore different majors all in one place and narrow down their options.
“As a first-semester student, I feel like I do not know much about any of the majors offered in the college,” said Sara Casey, a freshman undecided major from Franklin, Tennessee, at the event. “I am here to talk about my academic choices.”
The event especially targeted freshmen and sophomores, according to Lauren Cole, coordinator of career services.
“Students might have some idea about majors, but it’s rare that they’ll have explored each and every of the choices that the college offers,” Cole said. “It really helps if they talk with faculty members about what major matches best with their values, interests and skill sets.”
The theme of the event was March Madness, which is a popular name for the National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball tournament held in March every year.
“Major Madness helps you to look at everything from the view of different departments,” said John Kline, distinguished professor of leadership. “Also, when you talk one-on-one, students can get some good advice from the faculty.”
Kline added that students who are undecided need more information on different options they can choose from. It helps new students avoid going too far into a field and wasting too much time and money before changing their minds.
“Some students may know that they are good at business, or maybe that they are good at science or math,” Cole said. “But they probably want to come and talk to the management people or the marketing people, the information systems — there are several different concentrations under different types of industries.
“This gives them a way in one place to see all the different types of concentrations.”
Karla Thomas, a freshman communication major from Birmingham, said the fair gave her an opportunity to decide her minor.
“I am on the dance team here at Troy, so I was wondering if I should get a dance minor,” Thomas said. “Talking to the people in the event helped me understand if I could get the minor, along with what I would want to do in the future.”
According to Cole, about 75 percent of the students change their majors at least once. Events like Major Madness help students become aware of the actual prospects of the fields they are pursuing and even interact with faculty who may have professional experience.
A career fair for the upperclassmen follows on April 4, where students can come explore internships and jobs.
Career services provides career counseling and resume reviews for students looking for help with their academic choices.
The career services office is located in Eldridge Hall, Room 104.
