The second annual Majors Fair took place Tuesday in the Reitz Union Colonnade to help uncertain students decide which major is right for them.
Sponsored by the Career Resource Center and Student Government, the fair was created as a way for students to meet with advisers from all of UF's colleges and provide them with information about alternative majors, said Gregg Henderschiedt, senior assistant director for career development at the Career Resource Center.
About 850 students visited the fair and met with advisers from the 33 UF colleges and departments that attended, according to Holly Hixson, event coordinator and director of Student Government's Career Development Cabinet.
Henderschiedt said the fair is held in the Reitz Union Colonnade because of its prime location.
"Students think they're going to lunch at Pollo Tropical and end up talking to an adviser," he said.
But some students showed up Tuesday ready to shop for a new major.
Ashley Fuller, a freshman nursing student, has wanted to change her major and took the opportunity to speak with advisers from several colleges.
"It's a little easier when everything is in one place," Fuller said.
It is estimated that 38 percent of students change their major at least once during their freshman year, according to Danae Simonsen, an academic adviser for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
"When students want to switch they look at the catalog, but that doesn't compare to being able to go out and talk with an adviser," she said.
Mae Kiggins, an academic services coordinator for the School of Forest Resources, said she saw positive results last year after the Majors Fair and expects to see the same thing again.
"We hope that the continued success of the fair will allow us to make it a UF tradition for years to come," Hixson said.
