Freshmen gain information about career fields

With three days until the start of classes, freshmen had an opportunity Thursday to ask faculty members, advisers and older students last-minute questions about their schools.\nEach school or college invited freshman to information sessions so they could become better acquainted with the programs. \nJoe Boes, assistant director of the undergraduate program at the Kelley School of Business, said with so many students passing Thursday afternoon it would be impossible to answer every question. But for students interested in that field, it gave them a brief overview of what that department is about.\n"There's such a large number of freshmen this year, and I'm told almost 50 percent of them have an interest in business," he said. "It should give them a little taste of what the business school is about."\nThe session also gave freshmen a chance to learn about all their options, said Kent Redding, professor of sociology. He said for a major like sociology, many students have basic questions like what students can do with a sociology degree, and being on hand to answer those gives them a deeper knowledge of their different opportunities.\n"You might be coming in as a freshman and not know what kinds of things available," he said. "We have answers for them about what people have done with their degrees."\nHe also the programs give students a chance to speak face-to-face with their professors in a nonintimidating situation.\nFreshman Abbey Nimmer, who attended the program at the Kelly School of Business, said this was her motivation for going.\n"It's a big school. I want to know my professors and I want them to to get to know me ' to know more about them," she said.\nThe sessions also helped students choose programs and schools they are interested in, said Jamie Jo Warner, a freshman who attended the College of Arts and Sciences Expo in Alumni Hall.\n"It was very helpful because I had a good idea about my major, but I was very confused about my minor, and this really helped me decide which ones," she said. "I'm still not sure, but it clarified a lot." \nAlthough asking professors and advisers questions can be helpful, older students at the programs gave another perspective to incoming students, said junior Robyn Friedman, who was answering questions about the cognitive science program.\n"I think it's a really good thing to talk to other students," she said. "From students you can kind of get a feeling of what's it's really like."\nMarylou Hosek, undergraduate sociology adviser, said because the sessions were designed specifically for freshman, it lets them know their questions are important.\n"We're letting them know, 'Hey, you're a freshman, but we want to talk to you, too,'" she said.