Major forums would further assist students in defining their goals. During the spring semester, each department should hold a forum for potential majors. The opportunity to address questions to current majors and faculty members allows students to obtain the specific information they need to make an informed selection. Forums will prevent the frustration students experience when they barrage College Office advisors with major-specific questions that would be more successfully addressed by members of the department. Major societies augment departmental programs by providing a setting where majors can interact with one another.
Students can assist fellow majors in selecting courses and concentrations.
Furthermore, interaction among students of similar interest enhances the intellectual environment at Penn. Graduate students in the major should be included in these societies to help undergraduates bridge the gap between present and future studies. Outside speakers and professors could provide a shared intellectual experience to students whose views of the field often differ from having taken different classes. Such societies have been successful interactive settings in the History and Psychology departments. The College Office will become an efficient and dependable source of academic guidance when advisors encourage students to utilize parallel services.