Plain and simple, there is no one way, or right way, for a student to select a major. The process is unique to each student and many factors can influence the decision.

At UMBC, we want to support you in your journey to choosing a major. We believe this process is so important that we created a three-day event solely dedicated to major exploration: The MAJOR Event.

Have you already declared your major? Great! Still check out the following events to learn how to make the most of your academic major, including internship, study abroad, research opportunities, etc.

Monday, October 1

3pm – Fine Arts Building Recital Hall

Internationally recognized career expert, Dr. Don Asher, will give a dynamic talk entitled “You Can Major in Anything You Want: If and Only if You do These 5 Things in College.”

The first 55 students to attend will receive a free copy of Don Asher’s book!

4:30pm-5:30pm – UC Ballroom

Join us for a MAJOR Networking Event! Come play People Bingo to meet department/program alumni and student representatives and discuss how majors work in the real world.

Food will be provided.

Tuesday, October 2

1:00pm-4:00pm – Commons 318. 328, 329

What Can I Do with This Major? Several of UMBC’s unique academic programs will showcase ways to experience what it’s like to pursue a particular major. Featured programs will include: 

• Dental Hygiene
• Education
• Theatre
• Geography and Environmental Systems
• Individualized Study (INDS)
• Management of Aging Services
• Bioinformatics

This will also include a session on “How Do I Talk with my Parents About my Desired Major?”

Wednesday, October 3

10:00am-12:00pm – UC Ballroom

Majors Fair. Join us for a fun and lively opportunity to meet with faculty and staff representatives to explore and learn more about the vast and diverse majors at UMBC.

Free breakfast and a free t-shirt will be provided!

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Participants at any of our events will be entered into a drawing for a $100 UMBC Red Card Credit.

We hope to see you next week!

Our self-guided tutorials cover a variety of useful research skills. These tutorials are available in a variety of formats. Some are videos and some are web pages (interactive and static). Many have been produced by other libraries.

You’ll find great topics such as:

Research Basics                    

●     Choosing a Good Topic

●     Citing Sources

●     Understanding Call Numbers

 Understanding Sources                     

●     Evaluating Sources for Credibility

●     Anatomy of a Scholarly Article

●     What Are Primary Sources?

 Finding Resources                 

●     Where to Search

●     Searching for Articles

●     Searching for Databases

●     Using the Everything Search

●     Find Primary Sources

And browse the full list here: https://library.umbc.edu/tutorials/index.php

The Clothesline Project display on  Wednesday, October 3, 2018 from 10 AM- 4 pm in Commons Main Street.  

The Clothesline Project is a program that started back in 1990 and has been established “to address the issue of violence against women. It is a vehicle for women affected by violence to express their emotions by decorating a shirt.” Here at UMBC we do this project twice a year – in October for Relationship Violence Awareness Month and in April for Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Survivors of sexual violence are welcome to decorate a shirt with their feelings and message. Then the shirts are anonymously hanged on a clothesline display, shoulder to shoulder in Commons Main Street “to be viewed by others as testimony to the problem of violence against [anyone].”

For the past three years that I have been part of UMBC community I have seen this project and its strong impact on the community. This is a great chance for anyone who has experienced violence to share their stories in a safe setting, and also practice self-care. Making these shirts is an act of therapy in its own way. Last semester for the first time, I made my own shirt. I shared my story with many people without putting my name out there. I was able to take a story out of my chest and feel so much lighter immediately.

As a student staff member at the Women’s Center and a Resident Assistant, I had the privilege of being involved with this project more closely. Last semester with the help of the Women’s Center and some of my Resident Assistant co-workers, we were able to hold another t-shirt-making event in the residential area. This event has happened before in the residential halls, but seeing the work in person was such a powerful experience. Seeing people coming in, making shirts, and sharing their stories shows how they trust us, which challenges us to provide the best support we can as Resident Assistants and Women’s Center community members.

I personally believe having this project on campus is a great opportunity for our UMBC community members to express their feelings about their experiences with sexual and gender-based violence.

Shirts and supplies will be available throughout the month of October for any survivors who wish to create a shirt that tells their own story. Shirt-making for the Clothesline Project is also available year-round in the Women’s Center.

In fall 2017 and spring 2018, LRC tutoring centers were visited over 10,000 times by UMBC students!