University students made their way to Anacon Hall in the Rebecca Stafford Student Center to learn of potential majors in a speed-dating style meeting with faculty on Tuesday, Feb. 20.
This was an open-door event where students were invited to walk in at any time between the hours of 2:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Major Caffeine Buzz offered an opportunity for undeclared students or those considering a change of major to analyze possible majors and receive career advice from faculty. The event was part of the Transformative 10 series, a set of events that was created based off of student survey data that indicated that University students wanted more career preparation opportunities.
Anthony Urmey, Director of Transfer Services and Undeclared Students at was responsible for organizing the event.
“It was heavy-lifting, which any new event will be because you’re creating everything from scratch,” Urmey said, mentioning that there had been some issues marketing the event to students. “I feel that many of the marketing challenges were not specific to our program. Between classes and extra-curricular activities, work, and family obligations, most students have busy schedules. It’s difficult to find time to attend events.”
Anacon Hall was filled with tables, each labeled for a separate undergraduate department, including career services. According to Urmey, there was a representative of every undergraduate department, including a representative from career services and two undeclared counselors.
“Faculty are an amazing resource for information and connections in your chosen profession,” Urmey continued. “Additionally, your classmates today will be your colleagues tomorrow. Start networking now; create a LinkedIn page; develop a personal brand. All these actions will pay dividends.”
Lorna Schmidt, Director of Advising of the Communication Department, said “It was a good way to meet face to face with students to inform them on the major. Most folks don’t always realize that almost all jobs require some form of communication. Even if the students didn’t get all of their questions answered today, it’s someone they can go back to. It’s a comfortable way of learning.”
Much like the professors, the students found Major Caffeine Buzz to be every effective. “What stuck out to me was how approachable all the faculty there was,” said freshman psychology student Brittany Macaluso. “While speaking with the World Language Department I found out that a study abroad trip to France is in the works for next year and that is something I’d be interested in.”
Macaluso spoke highly of the professors who were representing their respective departments. “Obviously, they tried to sell their program as much as they could but once you started to talk to them about what you are interested in they all knew how to alter the conversation and offer advice of classes to take that would help you achieve what you want,” she said. As a result of the counseling she received, she is scheduled to meet with her advisor to switch from a psychology to a social work major and declare a minor in psychology.
Sabina Sheikh, a freshman political science student, was considering a minor in criminal justice, communication, or English. As a result of the event she was seriously considering criminal justice as a double major.
“One of the professors, the Chair of the Criminal Justice Department, helped me pick classes that were related to my major,” said Sheikh.
“We are always looking for ways to provide students critical information in an eye-catching sort of way,” said Mary Anne Nagy, Vice President for Student Life and Leadership Engagement. “It is also important for students to explore all of their areas of interest through learning about majors and I think this accomplished this.”
The education department proved to be one of the more popular of the undergraduate departments that students visited. “I spoke with three students,” said Kathryn Lubniewski, a faculty advisor at the event. “We were talking about the requirements of getting into education and taking the CORE exam early. The CORE is an online exam that comes in 3 parts; reading, writing and math. Education majors have to take this for entry into education,” Lubniewski added.
“I feel that it is a common misconception that college students don’t need to start career preparation until senior year,” said Urmey. “In my opinion, this couldn’t be further from the truth. We hope to impart to students that career preparation and exploration should start during their first year. We want them to feel confident that they are choosing a good fit for their career path.”
A future event in the Transformative 10 series is the Locke and Leadership Panel, which will be held later in the semester and help students develop a knowledge base and skills that can translate to numerous professions. According to Urmey, all students who attend a Transformative 10 event will receive an invitation to the Capstone Dinner on April 23, where featured speaker Susan Vitale will speak about searching for a great career in the current job market.
