This year’s Majors and Minors (M&M) Fair to be held Wednesday, Oct. 29, in the Mercy Heritage Room from 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m., plans to offer students a chance to explore academic concentrations.

At the fair, faculty and upperclassmen of various departments on campus will be available to explain more about their respective majors and minors to students.

Sample questions will be provided to students unsure of what to ask in order to ensure that curious students who attend the event will leave with a better understanding of the different major and minor opportunities at Mercyhurst.

The fair has been a staple for the last five years according to Assistant Vice President for Academic Affairs Andrea Barnett.

“Even faculty learns from this. It helps spread the culture of knowledge,” Barnett said.

Erica Cox, an Academic Counselor said “The goal of the fair is, number one, to provide a resource for students to explore…we really like this to be a casual thing for students and faculty.”

“It’s a fun event in general having everyone in one place,” she said.

Switching majors is by no means an uncommon occurrence, according to Cox.

“On average 50 to 70 percent of college students will change their major at least once, nationally,” said Cox. “This is pretty true to what we see [at the fair].”
“We actually, even before freshmen arrive on campus, see 20 to 30 students change majors,” she said.

This year there is an added focus on minors. Having a minor “is one of the beauties of a liberal arts school,” Cox said.

As high schools work to prepare students for college, “more and more students are bringing credits with them, freeing up room in their major,” Barnett said.
Each year the fair grows as new ideas and feedback is gained from the previous year.

“The displays have become pretty creative, like a trade show,” Barnett said.

New this year, students can guess the number of M&Ms in a bowl for a chance to win the bowl of M&Ms, in accordance with Halloween spirit.

The Office of Academic Support is located on the first floor of Egan.