Most students entering college are not sure about what areas of study to pursue or what their goals after college graduation are. Don't worry if you are in this group. A primary goal of the first two years of the LS&A degree program is to explore and evaluate various academic subjects in order to discern which areas of knowledge you find most interesting and engaging. You are not expected to declare your concentration until well into your fourth term. We do not want to rush you in this choice and you can change your mind during the process. Most students consider and reject 4 or 5 possible concentrations before finally settling on one or two.

You should read about the department, course offerings and resources for any concentration you are considering. The College offers over 74 different academic areas from which to make your selection. You should browse through the full list and start exploring. You may well find a number of areas of interest that are unfamiliar to you. The huge range of choices is one of the benefits of attending a large research university; take the time to explore its options.

Probably the most helpful hint we can give you in selecting your concentration is to choose one which satisfies you. Success in a concentration depends on a combination of interests, skills, and aptitudes. If you choose a concentration only because of its job possibilities while failing to look at your own interests, skills, and aptitudes, you could be heading for trouble. Before you decide, you need to learn all you can about the requirements demanded by your proposed concentration. If the concentration doesn't satisfy your interests and fit with your aptitudes, you may find it necessary to identify a new possibility. Many students, in fact, do change their mind about their concentration many times in the first two years in LS&A. You simply discuss the new concentration with the appropriate advisor and file a new Declaration Form. If you change concentrations late in your academic career, you may add a term or two to the length of your degree. This is probably still preferable to continuing in an area that is not a good match.

Our second bit of advice is to ask you not to be misled by today's job market in choosing your concentration. Many of you, understandably, are concerned about economic security and mobility, but it is important to avoid using your college career only as a vehicle for gaining those ends. Using current job opportunities as a sole basis for choosing a career and determining a concentration may be ill-fated for two reasons.

• First, you may be dissatisfied with the career once you have entered it if you do not consider your personal interests, the type of person you are and want to be, and how that concentration or career suits you.
• Second, in a rapidly changing society, today's job market may change substantially over the next four years.
• Third, it is important to realize that a liberal arts education is not designed to train students for any specific job as a professional or technical school would.

Regardless of your concentration, with your LS&A degree you will gain invaluable and marketable assets. You will hone your critical thinking, writing, and speaking skills, as well as develop the ability to master a variety of kinds of information. Given all this, you are better off choosing a concentration that suits and reflects your interests, rather than one you think will "look good" to future employers.

Finally, in selecting your concentration, we urge you to exhaust every informational resource at your disposal. These include the faculty who, even if they may not have the specific information you seek, can usually refer you to someone who does; and The Career Center (3200 Student Activities Building, 734-764-7460). The Career Center can assist you in making career decisions and conducting effective job searches. Seminars, career conferences, counseling sessions, and an extensive career library are among the resources available to help you in making and implementing career choices. Information is provided on pre-professional preparation, career fields, experiential opportunities, linking choice of concentration to career decision, and job search strategies.

Throughout your decision making process, focus on gathering information from various sources and talking to your advisors, faculty in the department and students who are already concentrating in the subject.A good place to make all these contacts is at the annual LS&A Concentration Fair.

-- Louise Freymann, Associate Director, Newnan Academic Advising Center