About 80 percent of college students in the United States end up changing their major at least once, and on average, college students change their major at least three times over the course of their college career, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Statistics like these are why Month of Majors is currently running for its eighth year. It’s a program where numerous academic departments hold sessions to inform undecided students about different majors, at NMU.
Month of Majors officially began on Monday, Oct. 3 and will run every Monday through Thursday until Oct. 20.
Last year, more than 300 students came to the sessions throughout the month and each session averaged about 10 students, said Jose Garcia, Academic Support Services coordinator.
“We usually get a good turnout at each session, but it really does vary. Gender studies isn’t going to get as big of a draw as biology,” Garcia said.
The various hour-long sessions provide information about the department being featured, its academic programs and employment opportunities in the career field. They conclude with a question and answer period. Each session is usually run by one designated faculty member from the program, but sometimes multiple professors and upperclassmen from the majors will come as well to talk about their experiences. Garcia coordinates with various academic departments each year to plan the event.
That variation is exactly what makes Month of Majors so successful—it gives students an opportunity to explore new fields of study in a quick and efficient manner, Garcia said.
“Month of Majors gives stu- dents a quick snapshot of what different departments have to offer that they may not have thought about in the past,” he added.
“So many freshmen come in undeclared and quite a few that don’t can end up changing their majors by the time they’re sophomores anyway, so Month of Majors is a great opportunity for them.”
Sophomore Hannah Sheridan attended three sessions last year after realizing her then major, mechanical engineering, wasn’t the right fit for her.
Sheridan said she told Garcia she didn’t know what she want- ed to do and he said, “Hannah, there’s this thing called Month of Majors and I really think you should go.”
Sheridan explained that she’s happy she listened to Garcia’s ad- vice because she declared her new major, environmental studies and safety, after attending its session.
“I heard them talking about the classes you have to take and the possible careers you can have with this major, and I was like, ‘Awesome, this is perfect for me,’” Sheridan said.
She recommends Month of Majors to anyone who is unsure about what they want to do.
“It was really helpful. A bunch of other undeclared people are there too, so you don’t feel alone and it’s not just you going in blind,” she said.
All Month of Majors sessionsare held in 2303 Hedgcock unless indicated otherwise and a complete schedule can be found on the Academic and Career Advising Center section on the NMU website.
