The University Advisement Center is hosting the Major Fair on Oct. 23, which invites all open major students to explore the scholastic opportunities provided on campus.
Among the 30,000 enrolled students that make up part of the BYU community, 2,200 students have not declared one of the 173 majors provided on campus. They are invited to attend the fair to ask questions, collect information and meet representatives from each college advisement center. The Major Fair is held once per year during the fall semester.
Karen Evans, University Advisement Center Director, initiated the Major Fair nine years ago, which compliments what goes on in the actual advisement center.
“The Major Fair is our key event, but we’re here year-around helping students choose major and careers,” Evans said. “Any student that has questions or wants more information or wants help choosing a major can come into the University Advisement Center at any time and meet with advisors.”
According to Evans’ research regarding the event and BYU’s student body, only 17 percent of students who come to BYU with a declared major actually end up graduating in their major.
Jeff Buell, the academic and career advisor for the University Advisement Center, describes the process of choosing a major and how attending the fair can be beneficial.
“We know choosing a major is a process for students, and sometimes a difficult process, but it’s a really relaxed setting where students can gather information from a lot of different majors,” Buell said. “No matter where (students) are on the continuum of choosing … they can come. We’ll even have students who are declared that will still come just to kind of see what’s there.”
Curtis Cannon, a BYU senior who is now majoring in management, said that the fair helped him decide what major to declare.
“I was looking at different majors before the Major Fair,” Cannon said. “Going to the fair helped me decide that business was a good course for me. It had easy and very accessible information.” Cannon says, “The Fair can open your eyes to what BYU offers.”
The Major Fair will be held in the WIlkinson Center Ballroom from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The University Advisement Center is located at 2500 WSC where further information can be found.
