Small turnout benefits students who are questioning their study path
Only about 10 freshmen became experts in their majors Tuesday night at the Freshman Council Major Fair.
The event, “By the Student, For the Student,” had about 20 upperclassmen share their experiences and goals pertaining to their majors.
Freshman Council hosted the fair to give students answers and opinions on their majors from experienced upperclassmen.
Upperclassmen came from each college to speak with students about their majors and plans after graduating. Second-year international studies student Travis Horne gave a different view of his major.
“A lot of people think that it’s political science,” Horne said. “It’s a broad degree, and great if you want to pick and choose what you want to do.”
Claire Deloach, a fourth-year early childhood education student, says the course work is a time-consuming, heavy load, but the professors are excellent.
“We’re very cutting edge,” Deloach said. “The college does a great job of easing you into teaching.”
The College of Education gives a hands-on experience. Students interact in the field with teachers and students their freshman year. They begin observing the classroom, interacting with children and becoming teachers by planning lessons.
Deloach said she would like to find a job in South Carolina in the Midlands area.
“Wherever I can get a job and work with kids,” Deloach said. “As long as I’m changing their lives.”
First-year dance education student Neely Moss attended the fair in order to help her make a decision to double-major in early childhood education. She spoke with Deloach about her experiences with education.
“I’d like to be a preschool ballet teacher,” Moss said.
Moss says that with a major in dance education, she will be certified to teach K-12 in South Carolina, and double-majoring with early childhood education will make her more marketable.
Another first-year student, Lindsay Waddington, is a pre-pharmacy student.
Waddington finds the pre-pharmacy work very strenuous but beneficial. Pharmacy school graduates have the opportunity to work with the government, military, community pharmacies and medical fields.
“The ones who get in [pharmacy school] are the ones who are really interested in the material,” Waddington said.
Students interested in pharmacy must complete the Pharmacy College Admissions Test, a standardized test that determines acceptance.
“Just getting a pharmacy degree doesn’t mean you’ll be working in a community pharmacy or dispersing medications,” Waddington said.
Other upperclassmen were featured to discuss their majors including journalism, public health students and even biomedical engineering.
Biomedical engineering has been rated the 10th-best major in which to find a career and first for being the least stressful by CNN Money. Students are able to study the human body in-depth and help solve health problems through designing medical processors.
“It’s intense, but it’s really rewarding,” said Gerry Koons, a second-year biomedical engineering student. “Everything that you learn will enhance your knowledge of the human body.”
Biomedical engineering is the only engineering program that studies biology, chemistry and physics.
Trenton Smith, a first-year political science and mathematics student and member of Freshman Council, said he thinks the Freshman Council Major Fair is something that can be done annually.
“I hope it does, because every year there are undecided freshmen,” Smith said.