The Northwestern Class Alliance held its annual Major/Minor fair Tuesday evening in the Louis Room of Norris. Every year, NCA puts on the fair to spread information about less acknowledged departments and certificate programs that the university offers to undergraduates.
The fair, which went from 4:30 until 7 p.m., featured about 30 representatives from departments ranging from Kellogg and BIP certificates to Anthropology and the Brady Scholars program. There were also college advisers and representatives from University Career Services offering advice and general insight to the process of choosing and declaring a major or minor.
“Our goal is to give freshmen and sophomores a chance to explore areas they might be interested in all in one spot,” said Leah Patterson, the director of NCA’s Professional Development committee, who organized the event. “They can go right from, [say,] IMC to BIP and really see the differences and compare them.”
Though the fair seemed to improve from last year’s version, NCA members and various department participants agreed there was much room for change in the future.
“Last year there was definitely a lower turnout,” said Patterson, a Weinberg sophomore. “We had it in two rooms, which really hindered people’s ability to explore all the options.”
Though the concentrated version was much more accessible, the time of day made it difficult to attend for many students. Patterson added that NCA planned move the event to earlier in the afternoon next year so that people could come by between classes, and she hoped to spread the word better next year to improve attendance.
“I think this is a great idea for people who are still undecided,” said Meghan O’Leary, Weinberg senior, “but I do wish it were better publicized.”
O’Leary worked at the fair by sitting with the Anthropology table with other students and Professor Helen Schwartzman to inform people about the department, which many students don’t seem to know about. They were pleased by the interest shown and deemed the fair an overall success.
Patterson agreed, acknowledging the shortcomings, but concluding that “people seemed fairly happy.”