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The Dartmouth
March 29, 2024 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

New events aim to help sophomores pick majors

Lori Alvord '79 and professors Annelise Orleck, John Collier '72 and Larry Polansky offer advice and recollections to sophomores currently selecting their majors in a panel discussion in Fahey lounge last Tuesday.
Lori Alvord '79 and professors Annelise Orleck, John Collier '72 and Larry Polansky offer advice and recollections to sophomores currently selecting their majors in a panel discussion in Fahey lounge last Tuesday.

The new program, jointly sponsored by the Faculty Engagement Initiative and the Sophomore Program, revamped previous years' "Major Enlightenment" events, which were "more like a fair," according to Kathleen Cunneen, a theater department lecturer and one of the coordinators of the week's events.

A faculty panel, targeted at sophomores who are still undecided about their academic major, was one of the highlights of the week's events. Panelists told students that it is helpful to follow one's passions and examine one's academic interests.

John Collier '72, professor at the Thayer School of Engineering, described his decision to become an engineering major rather than follow the pre-medicine track he had originally planned when he was a Dartmouth undergraduate.

"I like to take things apart and put things together and make things go faster," Collier said.

Collier encouraged students to identify their interests -- a person will always be intrigued by the things that spark his or her interest now, he said.

"I encourage you to spend some time alone," he said. "Think about who you are and what you want to do, then work it backwards. Figure out your specifications such as working indoors or outdoors, and then ask yourself some crazy questions -- if you woke up tomorrow with more money than you could ever spend, what would you do?"

Annelise Orleck, chair of the Jewish Studies program and a history professor, said that growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y., shaped her career as a historical author.

"I grew up in a world of Jewish immigrants, labor activists and Holocaust survivors," she said. "I felt I came of age in a social justice tradition, and it was my job to do my bit for social justice ... The neighborhood I lived in was full of people who were dying off, and I wanted to get their stories."

Similarly, Lori Alvord '79, associate dean of Student and Multicultural Affairs at Dartmouth Medical School, said her Navajo background influenced her decision to become a surgeon.

"Our meaning of what we do comes through the hands -- Navajo rugs, baskets," she said. "I came back and worked for my tribe for six years, then came back to work at Dartmouth."

Music professor Larry Polansky, who also spoke on the panel, made a point not to go into his personal experience as he urged students searching for the right major to figure out their interests and then decide which academic tracks will satisfy them.

"Perhaps you can even do a little rewiring," he added. "Leave yourself open to extreme possibilities."