The Majors and Minors Fair, a gathering held to inform students of the various majors and minors offered, was held at Washburn on Wednesday, Sept. 27. Each academic department’s and program’s representatives are on hand to discuss their offerings.

During this academic fair, students can also speak with professors and existing students to acquire their opinions on various majors and minors. Amber Ybarra, Undergraduate Student Affairs director, explained that the fair happens to help students in any college year make the right decision in choosing their major for their future career.

“I’m assisting students within a major and minor space; I’m just going to help them understand different majors,” Ybarra said. “In the School of Business, we provide information about majors for students at any year for all freshmen, sophomores, juniors and senior students.”

Students can also talk to faculty members and current students to get their perspectives on different majors and minors. George Burdick, a junior philosophy and political science major student, shared his experiences in philosophy and political science at Washburn.

“Here with the philosophy and religious studies department, we’ve got a bunch of different courses and a bunch of great professors,” Burdick said. ”They are not just teaching you how to think; you will also have a big emphasis on logic and critical thinking in this course in this major, and it’s really useful. I found it to be useful, not just for philosophy.”

The Majors and Minors Fair is an opportunity to learn about student options and make informed decisions about their future, such as finding out about internship and research opportunities.

Attendees learn about different extracurricular activities and clubs related to different majors and minors. Ethan Sonners, a senior chemistry major, talked about club activities for the next week.

“We are in the forensic chemistry major, and we are also in the Chemistry Club. It’s the chemistry major all wrapped in one, so pretty much you’re doing a picnic in the park next Friday, wrapping that camp club and kind of just making the park manager known to freshmen coming in,” Sonners said.

Besides the major space, other offices in Washburn also share their services that are helpful for students.

“The services were available on campus, and you know there were regular health care clinics. We just happened to be located on a university campus, so if people get sick or get hurt, you should make an appointment,” McManis said.

To learn more about the prerequisites, course offerings and future employment opportunities of various majors and minors, students gathered pamphlets, leaflets and other pieces of information from the tables. After the fair, they can get in touch with representatives for additional details.

Edited by Aja Carter and LeSha’ Davis