Making Major Choices work

The stated mission of the Major Choices initiative is "to encourage undergraduates to be imaginative and open-minded about their choices and to take the fullest advantage of the many intellectual opportunities available to them at Princeton." In order to achieve this goal, the program prints a booklet each year and gives it to undergraduates. The booklet profiles 30 recent Princeton graduates who talk about what they went on to do in life, despite not majoring in one of the five largest departments. In addition, departments are given money to hold receptions and give talks, in the hopes of bringing students into smaller programs.

Despite the effort, a few weeks ago, the Class of 2009 still chose overwhelmingly to enter the University's largest departments. It is undeniable that there is some value in the type of information that Major Choices gives to undergraduates. But if the University administration really wants students to enter smaller departments, this effort is going to hinge on student-professor relationships.

Personal relationships are what inspire students to enter unorthodox departments. Most often, it is a great lecture or a great conversation with a professor that causes students to choose departments they might not otherwise have considered. Reading about other students' experience can be informative, but it is not enough. Professors are really the key to making an initiative like Major Choices work.

This new approach could manifest itself in several ways. Having professors teach more precepts would be one method. In addition, requiring students to discuss paper topics during office hours or appointments could create greater student-professor interaction. Personal relationships between professors and students — not pamphlets and panels — are the way to encourage students to expand their intellectual horizons and to major in smaller departments.