12 - The Michigan Daily - Friday, February 16, 2001 FRIDAY Focus l s '-r i t''' ,,f } r r "' . '' " '' .d YQ^F j , Vs.c [ i j ivy i t ! _S 5S 1 ' Zr f /h V j Z~ ; t E G .'AUK i jV j k 4 - tF3 r. h .r:ZF - t. L l '' i ' r : '. " dc,,.f,..sy , . :t's. f . y ar i> 14 P 5 i... "'11S 9 MOST POPULAR WA CONCENTRATIONS BY DEPARTMENT as of] Fall 00 e T Concentration Number i 1 * Psychology * English * Biology * Economics U Individual Concentration Political Science * History * Communication Studies * Chemistry * Anthropology U Computer Science * General Studies * Film & Video Studies * Mathematics ® Romance Lang. & Lit. " Other 949 725 655 626 533 486 402 250 239 226 186 172 154 154 134 992 Perc at 13. 10. 9. 9.1 7. 7.1 5.8 3.6 SO 0 M AAANY MICES U. 3.5 3.3 2.7 2.5 2.2 2.2 1.9 14.6 A, :. ... "I TA .. AND ONLY FUR YEARS. 0 RACHEL FEIERMAN/Daily Students can seek answers to their academic questions at the LSA Academic Advising Center located in Angell Hall. Everyone has to have a cnceI n or major, as thy are r rr the vernacular - from the Universifr's ( si s College of itere S Arts. Because LSA w e. ..- . ' $ - -- ' approved. It depends on the strength of the student to show how these classes fit togeth- er," Smith said. LSA junior Jane Purakal, a health and devel- opment ICP concentrator, was originally a biol- ogy concentrator but said she felt limited by the program. "I wasn't happy or interested in some of the courses that I had to take for my major," Purakal said. "I am really excited to take the courses that I picked as part of my (ICP) major." Many students ask Smith about the ICP con- centration but few actually go through with the process because of the large amount of work that is involved, he said. The process requires a two- to three-page written proposal that includes the goal of the program, why it can't be accomplished through any existing concentration, 30 credits of course- work, alternate courses and two faculty sponsors from contributing departments. The application then goes on to be considered by a committee compiled of two faculty members and Smith. "It really forces you to think what you want out of your education since you have to decide on a goal and specific classes that will work within that goal," Smith said. faint-hearted. - Chalmers Knight General Studies academic adviser concentration Progam hi choose cboCo ask for it, while a BGS gets what one wants without having to ask for t." "A BGS is not for t e faint-hearted," Knight said passionately "it is one thing to choose a concentration d follow the rules and another to take acti n in deciding your own program and future." One student deciding her own program is BGS student Diane Kay, an LSA junior. Kay said she was interested i "The emp1l political activism an social change but did no concerned find a concentration at th University that encom actual maj passed what she wanted. "With BGS I have mor W1th the si control over my educational student ha destiny. I can take whatever I want this way. I can take Career Plann classes that really interest me," Kay said. The sophomore decision The University has recognized the problems that students are have deciding upon a concen- tration and have focused their efforts on helping sophomores make the concentration decision through the Sophomore Initiative Program. Sophomores are being targeted because it is near the end of the sophomore year or the beginning of the junior year when the Universi- ty recommends that students declare a concen- tration, said Associate Director of LSA Academic Advising Philip Gorman. "Students should declare by then so they can graduate in a reasonable amount of time. Departments also need to know how many students to plan for," Gorman said. The Sophomore Inititive is a continuation of programs that the college already has in place. These programs focus on the three mation, helping stu concentration decisio for those conversatio s What do e After all the ste through to decide i how much does it rel yers are not with the or, but more kill sets that a * .. -- Terr LaMarco ing and Placement associate director main goals of providi iployers think? ess that students go n their concentration, Lly effect an employers decision to hire? About 87 percent of employers looking to hire liberal arts majors that inter- view at the Univer- sity's Career Planning and Place- ment Office say } they have no prefer- r ence as far as con- centrations are I n: S ng students with infor- ents make career and s and providing a place to take place. LSA sophomore Mike Kaselitz has taken every one of his classes at the University in a different department but has yet to declare a concentration. "I am still trying to find one that I want to do," he said. "I like that I am getting require- ments out of the way with all the classes that I am taking." Kaselitz is not alone. Some students feel confined by choosing a concentration in one department and instead choose an interdisciplinary concentration. LSA sophomore Daniel Norton concluded his concentration quest with the dramatic writing concentration - a combination of the English, film and video and theater depart- ments. "My mind wanders too much to concentrate on one thing and this way I get to study a vari- ety of subjects," Norton said. "Instead of just focusing on writing or production, I get to do both." Despite the name, concentrations do not consume a student's entire college career because they usually consist of 30 of the 120 credits required for graduation. "This college adheres very strongly to the phi- losophy that a broad liberal arts college experi- ence is the best preparation for whatever future you have," said Alice Reinarz, director of the LSA Academic Advising Center. "We don't want students to get specialized too fast" We have minors? Fairly new to LSA is the academic minor. There had been talk of adding minors to LSA for several years, when in 1997 the LSA Stu- coherent set of courses wi~th a particular theme," Owen said. The certification of minor now appears only on the unofficial transcript bti t is scheduled to appear on the official transcri! pt, which is cur- r e n t 1 y . b e ing "A BGS is not for thef Bachelor in redesigned, Reinarz said. "From the LSA students graduating in December, about 10 percent an satisfying one of the minors. The most populair so far are those in Spanish and philosophy," Rein, rz said. Minors are created within eaKh LSA depart- ment and are then brought in front of the LSA Curriculum Committee for approval. New minors are being added constantlyt Most recently approved are global media stud- ies through the film 4nd video c epartment and Near Eastern languages and literatures through the Near Eastern studies departmetat. A new poli- cy was also approved that allows students in the College of Engineering to elect anyiLSA minor. Design your own: ICP { Like LSA freshman Jessica Franc, many students have heard of the individualized con- centration program but are uncertain as to what the program involves. "I've kind of heard of it, but I don't, know exactly what it is," Franc said. The ICP program is elected by very few individuals at the University. TIhtirty students have currently declared ICP as their concen- tration even though' it is listed as the fifth concerned, said Career Planning and Place- ment Associate Director Terri LaMarco. "The employers are not concerned with the actual major, but more with the skill sets that a student has," LaMarco said. "Everything that a- student does here at the University affects their job potential." Lori Page, a university recruiter for MassMutual Financial Group, reiterated LaMarco's statement. "We are open to all academic majors. We look for a set of competencies that make students more well-rounded and likely for success," Page said. Page said they have found qualities that they are looking for in University students, such as interpersonal skills and ability to build relations. In fact, Page added, the University has been one of the top schools in job offers extended and accepted. Purakal said that despite all the hard work, she found it beneficial to be in charge of her educational focus. "It was definitely a lot of work, but it was worth it," Purakal said. "An ICP is all you - you have so much leeway to really do what you want to do." The 'S' in BGS doesn't stand for slacker Walking into the office of bachelors in gen- eral studies academic adviser Chalmers Knight, one of the first things to see is a sign reading "BGS is a choice, not a default." But some students say this statement is con- tradictory to the degree program's reputation on campus. LSA sophomore Trek Glowacki said many students think a BGS degree shows that you couldn't decide on a program. "I think it has a bad rap on campus that if you major in general studies that you won't get a good job," Glowacki said. The BGS degree program is the 12th most popular program on campus with 172 stu- dents, according to LSA numbers from this past fall. A BGS requires that students take a 0 0 - - - F- I