Four weeks into the second semester, the campus has settled into its most normal mode. The novelty of the year has worn off, and there will be no reading period anxiety for another three months. But as the rest of the school grinds through this less eventful period, things will begin to get exciting for the sophomores as they begin to codify their thoughts about academic departments and programs. By the end of this semester, their choices will be all but unchangeable.
To guide them through this process, the Class of '07 will have at its disposal the generally acceptable — but rarely outstanding — university advising process. They will rely on their assigned academic advisors, who will generally come from a department in which they've shown some interest. They will be able to ask questions of their upperclass friends and residential college staff who have seen this process before.
But when these resources don't prove adequate, it is incumbent on students to take matters into their own hands, seeking out information when it is needed. With so many faculty members and graduate students willing to talk to interested students in any given field, it is unfortunate that many students each year seem to make their academic decisions without being fully informed.
Is there more the University and the academic departments could do to help inform prospective majors? Sure. They could hold more than one open house each year, or they could move their open houses earlier so students could make use of the information they obtain with more than one week left before their decisions are due. It would be great if there were opportunities for sophomores to get to know departmental policies in the fall semester so they could better explore their options with courses in the spring.
Even without these changes, students can become better informed by being proactive. For sophomores especially, the time to begin asking questions is now. By the time the colleges send out their emails informing students of decision deadlines, it will likely be too late to look into new avenues of study.
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