A glimpse into the future

Created as an annual event to help students learn about the programs offered within the Faculty and Arts and Science, the return to the in-person Majors Night event saw 800 students visit the BioSciences Atrium where members from each Department Student Council (DSC) were made available to answer questions about their experiences with the programs offered by each department.

Advisors from Academic Advising, Career Services, and Peer Academic Support Service (PASS) were also available to answer specific questions about choosing a program and where to find career resources at Queen’s.

“A lot of people don’t know what Gender Studies is or that it’s a Major, Minor, Remedial, or program that’s offered,” says Melissa Houghtaling (Assistant Professor and Undergraduate Chair, Department of Gender Studies). “This is a good time for students to shop around to ask questions like ‘what is Gender Studies’ or ‘what do you learn in Gender Studies’ or ‘what can I do with a Gender Studies degree.’ Students can ask these questions before they get into the program to see if this is a good fit for what they are thinking regarding their careers.”

“It’s also a lot about thinking about different programs that connect because we are very interdisciplinary, so students find that Psychology and Gender Studies go well together. We have conversations about how their interests might fit into a degree program.”

Majors Night is organized each year in collaboration with Arts and Science Undergraduate Society, Career Services, and FAS.

“I had a lot of questions about choosing a major, because I have to choose between Life Science and Biochemistry, so I had a lot of questions about that and specializations,” says Majors Night attendee Claire Bunker. “I was definitely looking forward to attending the event, it will make students feel a lot better about what your options are for your future.”

Thomas Abrams (Undergraduate Chair and Assistant Professor, Department of Sociology) says the return to an in-person event is an excellent opportunity to connect with the students. “I think it’s important to ask students ‘why are you thinking about our Major, all Majors, what do you want to do.’” It’s about the human connection.”

Faculty of Arts and Science student Grace Phillips agrees with this and says she came to the event to talk to people in person about her options and her future. “I think it’s important to attend, especially for people who want to change departments or explore something new. It’s helped me seek out other options. I was looking at Indigenous Studies a little bit. As an indigenous student I wanted to learn more about it and see what the program was offering.”

“For me, it definitely is a big deal just because I really didn’t know what I wanted to do,” says Lucas Grenier. “I talked to a couple of people at the booths, and it narrowed it down for me. It was helpful for sure. I went to the Biology booth and I really liked what they were saying, especially how flexible the program is.”

For more information visit the Career Services events calendar webpage.