By
Shana Heiser
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Nearly 120 majors present with advisers, representatives
Advisers from nearly all 118 undergraduate majors will answer questions, especially for undeclared students, at tomorrow's Meet Your Major Fair.
The event is geared toward University of Arizona freshmen, about 25 percent of whom haven't decided on a major. Add these students to the nearly 1,000 undeclared sophomores, and Diana Wilson, coordinator for the UA Advisory Center for Exploratory Students, said she predicts a huge turnout.
"My goal is to get 1,500 students," she said. "We've had close to 1,000 in the past, so I don't know if that's unrealistic."
The Meet Your Major Fair began as a way for students to have an informal opportunity to chat with different departments and their respective advisors and representatives, Wilson said.
"Freshmen are very intimidated by just walking in and meeting a major adviser," she said. "This way, they can just walk in, have some food, and just be able to talk to the different departments and get some information in a friendly and informal setting."
The benefits of the Meet Your Major Fair are evident to one student who is now involved as a peer adviser for ACES.
"As a freshman, I came and it helped me, and I ended up becoming an executive peer adviser and coordinating some events," said Mitzi Williams, a veterinary sciences senior.
Although the target audience is undeclared students, Wilson encourages all those interested to stop by Bear Down Gym.
"We definitely invite all students, in fact, we invite the entire U of A community," she said. "I've had calls from staff people who are interested in coming back to school and so they wondered if they could come - absolutely."
ACES has tried every advertising method they can think of to grab UA students' attention, Wilson said. They have tried to "blanket the campus" with e-mail, a Web site, residence hall posters and ads on the radio and television.
"I can't think of any other way we can get the word out without going and grabbing people in off the street," Wilson said. "We'll have refreshments. Free food gets people over here."
Coming to college without a direction or "not having a clue" would be scary, said peer-adviser coordinator Michele Herzer, a biology senior, so she wants to help undeclared students define their goals.
"I wanted to give students some direction and try to make the whole college experience less overwhelming," she said.
Peer adviser Amy Armstrong hopes the turnout will be good after the promotion ACES has done.
"I just want people to come," said Armstrong, a physiology sophomore. "I know a lot of students have heard about it and have asked about it."
Other student service groups and organizations will be present at the Meet Your Major Fair, such as pre-law, pre-health, study abroad and career services. Freshmen will also have their first chance to sign up for mandatory academic information meetings at the fair.
The annual event, sponsored by ACES and the Freshmen Year Center, will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow.
