While choosing a major is an important step in a student’s career, the exact time at which one declares is not as crucial as making sure the student takes advantage of Dickinson’s advising resources, posits Dean of Academic Advising Damon Yarnell.

“As long as students are proactive—planning their courses carefully, talking to their advisors, professors, peers, upper-level students and perhaps a career counselor—I’m not overly concerned with the timing of their declaration,” says Yarnell.

Yarnell says that a student may declare a major any time before the end of their sophomore year at Dickinson, a system that he said is common among liberal arts colleges.  The majority of students at Dickinson tend to declare a major during their second, third or fourth semester at schools, Yarnell reports.  “Roughly 30 percent of a class will declare in each of these semesters, a trend that has mostly held steady over the past five years.”

Yarnell said that only around six to eight percent of a class declares a major in their first semester while at Dickinson.

“Many students come to Dickinson committed to exploration and take 3-4 semesters to find their intellectual niches,” Yarnell says, “In fact, more than a few students gravitate towards the liberal-arts model because it fosters such discovery.”

Yarnell says that he would like to see more students who are undeclared to take pride and a sense of ownership of their situation.  “Too often students are shy or sheepish about being undeclared, and this is unfortunate…most students encounter vast new territories at Dickinson, and they should embrace their status as explorers!”

Choosing a major is very important to Yarnell and he says that when a student declares, it should be something to celebrate.  “Choosing a major is a big deal,” Yarnell says, “If you want some superficial proof, just start counting how many times people ask you, ‘What’s your major?’”

Declaring a major is a way to show a sense of clarity about one’s academic interests, posits Yarnell. 

“[It’s] a sign that you have encountered a way of knowing, a constellation of questions and methods of answering them, that you find so compelling that you’re ready to invest significant time and energy to develop deeper knowledge.”