By: Hailey Mason & Sarah Frolick
“What are common careers graduates from this major go into?” This appeared as the first question on a sheet that students were handed as they made their way into the gymnasium on Monday, October 7th. The sheet provided students with a list of 11 sample questions to ask representatives of each academic program.
For over 20 years Bradley University’s Smith Career Center and the Academic Exploration Program (AEP) have put on the Majors and Minors Fair to showcase all the programs that Bradley has to offer.
Students, regardless of year, were invited to this campus-wide event held in Bradley’s Renaissance Coliseum. Spread over the top floor of the gymnasium, each department is stationed at a table displaying their colleges and program names. Faculty and student representatives from these different programs answer questions that attendees might have.
The event is organized by many people from both the Smith Career Center and the AEP. In a joint effort to help students decide about their future, both at Bradley and after college. It is an event that they have found great success in, as they have continued to put it on for over 20 years.
Susan Rapp, an Academic Advisor for AEP, compares the event to a “one-stop-shop” for students. Especially for those who are still undecided, but also for those who have questions. Rapp is one of the organizers for this event and her favorite part of the event is that “it is a good opportunity for faculty members to get students to join their major.”
The event was advertised all across campus to encourage students to come out to talk to faculty and students about any given major or minor. It was not just an event for freshmen and undecided majors. It was an event that all students can benefit from if they decided to attend.
Kim Dunn, Career Advisor in the Smith Career Center, describes the event as an opportunity for both underclassmen and upperclassmen. Dunn explains that the event helps: “First-year and second-year students trying to navigate and figure things out,” while for upperclassman it’s more about finding a minor and “having those good conversations with faculty and student representatives.”
When students first walked into the event, they were given an information sheet about the Smith Career Center and how they can change or declare a major or minor along with the sample sheet of questions. As the students walked around, it was up to them to make the most out of the experience and engage in conversation about their questions regarding major and minor options.
Ken Harding, a Career Advisor for AEP students in the Smith Career Center, emphasizes that the whole point of the event is to help students understand what the options are here at Bradley. He also explained how students get more from the event by reaching out, asking questions and making connections with the faculty at this event. “If they simply walk around, they’re not going to take as much away from it,” said Harding.