Major Exploration Fair Opens the Way to Crimson Tide Futures
11/9/2017 9:23:00 AM | General
More than 100 underclassmen had the opportunity to explore 30-plus majors during the event
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - In September, Alabama Athletics' D.R.I.V.E. for Success Career and Leadership Development program hosted a Career Fair in Bryant-Denny Stadium, to give the Crimson Tide's upperclassmen the chance to see where their degrees might take them.
This week, D.R.I.V.E. for Success held a different type of fair to help student-athletes take one of the first steps toward the rest of their lives. On Monday night, in the same spot as the Career Fair, D.R.I.V.E. hosted a Major Exploration Fair aimed at underclassmen.
"I came to the fair because I really want to explore all my options and majors," soccer player Taylor Morgan said. "Coming into college, it's really hard to know what you want to do. We're so young coming out of high school. The world is so big, so when they told all of the freshmen that we would be able to come and see a bunch of the majors and have somebody actually talk it out with us, I was all for it."
The Major Exploration Fair provides Tide student-athletes the opportunity to meet academic advisors from more than 30 majors and minors on campus. The advisors provide information designed to help choose the right academic program to fit the student-athlete's interests.
"I'm over here to learn about different majors," men's track and field freshman Christian Edwards said. "My major is sports management and the advisors gave advice about minors you could take, too."
The Major Exploration Fair's open structure is similar to that of D.R.I.V.E.'s Career Fair, allowing the more than 100 student-athletes in attendance to move at their own pace and meet and actively engage with a variety of academic advisors at various booths to discover the best academic program for them.
"Tonight, I looked at exercise science," volleyball freshman Christine Jarman said. "I'm either going the physical therapy or dental school route, but I'm not really sure and obviously it may change, so I'm going to look at different degrees and see what else might interest me."
Even those student-athletes who have already picked their academic path were able to get something out of Monday's event.
"I've already decided on my major – I'm majoring in physics on a premed track – but I just thought I'd come here and see what else there is to offer and learn more about the major I've already chosen," men's tennis rookie Sam Fisher said.
There were also several campus organizations in the house that student-athletes could engage with in hopes of enhancing their professional development, including: UA Career Center, Center for Service and Leadership, Al's Pals Mentoring, UA Crossroads, Culverhouse Connections, PRSSA, Pre-Physical Therapy Society, American Association of University Women and Project Health.
"Coming here as a freshman, most people think they have an idea of what they want to do, but don't really know actual steps to go out and get the job you want, so it is nice to see what the degree actually provides you after college," Jarman said.
The Major Exploration Fair is another part of Alabama Athletics' D.R.I.V.E. for Success Career and Leadership Development program. Dedication, Responsibility, Influence, Vision, and Excellence are the program's values, highlighted through the D.R.I.V.E. acronym. The D.R.I.V.E. mission is to actively support professional and leadership growth of current and former Crimson Tide student-athletes through practical education and comprehensive programming in preparation for success in life.
All the latest information on Alabama Athletics can be found via @UA_Athletics on Twitter and Instagram and Alabama Athletics on Facebook. You can follow Alabama's D.R.I.V.E. for Success program on Twitter via @TideDrive.
