Start Learning What You Will Do This Wednesday at Welcome to the Majors…

When someone becomes part of something that is different from what they have experienced, it is a good idea to mark this change with an event that signifies their movement into unfamiliar terrain.  Ideally that event should also help them better understand what will be expected of them going forward.

This is why we do Welcome to the Majors each semester in the College. This semester’s edition runs this Wednesday.  The College of Business is different than what students have experienced to this point in their education. How different depends a bit on where the student is coming from, but one way it is different for every new student is the importance we place on “doing” here here in the College of Business. Up until this point, the typical  student has probably thought that college was about acquiring knowledge so that they could  “be” something– an accountant, or a financial analyst, for example.  So you expected to sit and learn– meaning you would attend class, passively consume lectures and correctly repeat what you were taught on exams.

The basic message of Welcome to the Majors is to let you know that you have entered a different experience where that strategy won’t be enough for you to succeed. The College of Business is a professional school. We believe the ultimate purpose of business education isn’t knowledge, but action. Don’t misunderstand: Knowledge is important. But if you don’t learn how to do things with it, it’s not very useful. In short, knowledge is a necessary but not sufficient condition for success. In our College, you must do. This starts at Welcome to the Majors where we encourage you to think about what you want to do in your career rather than what you want to be. It continues in our core courses where we ask you to work in teams to solve real world problems and in our professional development courses where you need to invest time in getting out of your comfort zone and do things that will help you develop your professional network. We want you to leave us with a track record of doing because we know that will get you a great job offer before graduation.

All of this will require a change in your mindset. Welcome to the Majors is just the start of that process. It will introduce you to the many opportunities you have in the college to embrace doing, connect with amazing people and get to where you want to go. To accomplish this you need to come ready to dive in. Fortune favors the bold.

How the Majors Stack Up: 2018-2019

At the end of each semester, a number of students finish their primary core and are admitted into a major.  At the end of Spring 2019, 679 students found out what major they will be going forward…

As has been the case for the last several semesters, Integrated Business admitted the most students, followed by Finance and Accounting.  In fact, the order of the majors really hasn’t changed in the last couple of years.  Congrats to all of our new majors.

Charge On!

It’s Monday, You’re a UCF Grad…

So, now what? If you got nothing, you might want to click here.

Good Luck to our Graduating A-Team Members

The A-Team is a group  peer advisers who work in our Office of Professional Development (OPD).  Being a peer advisor is a tough job.  Most of the people our A-Team interacts with are undergraduate students who have academic challenges, are struggling to fit academics into their busy lives, or both.  They are frequently in  the unenviable position of having to tell students things that are good for them, but that they don’t want to hear.  As a result, A-Team members learn how to have difficult conversations with people, problem solve and deal with conflict.  We can’t say thank you enough to them.   Like with our Ambassadors, a number of them are graduating this semester and I wanted to take a minute to acknowledge each of them.

Jasmine Evans started with OPD in December 2017. Jasmine will be graduating with her BSBA in Integrated Business. She brings lightness and fun to the office. She has worked hard in her time in OPD to ensure that students are cared for and that policies are enforced equitably. Jasmine was an active member of the Integrated Business Professional Association and has recently accepted an interim advising position with the OPD where she will be focusing on training and the streamlining of process and policy. Congratulations Jasmine!

Esther Moonsammy started with OPD in July 2017. She is a native of Guyana. Esther will be graduating with her BSBA in Management and a minor in Accounting. Esther has been a key player in the creation of harmony within the team. She has been an active member of the National Association for Black Accountants and  Golden Key international Honor Society.  Esther is a strong advocate for the students which is what has made her such a great advisor. She recently was offered a Tax and Audit internship with MKA. Congratulations Esther!

Harley Rowand started with OPD in April 2017. Harley will be graduating with her BSBA in Integrated Business and a certificate in Nonprofit Management. Harley has always been a strong advocate for the students, ensuring that they are presented with multiple options in order to succeed. Harley was an active member of the Integrated Business Professional Association and as the most senior A-Teamer, she has taken many new A-Teamers under her wing to ensure that they are successful in their new roles.

Zannate  Iqbal  started with OPD in July 2017. Zannate will be graduating with her BSBA in Finance. Over the past semester, she has served as the Lead A-Teamer, assisting her fellow co-workers with training and administrative duties. Zannate will be studying abroad in the summer semester in Seoul, South Korea. She has been an active member of the Financial Management Association and Art History Club and recently was accepted into a Finance MIT position with Marriott International in Dallas, TX.

Georgina (Gina) Mensah started with OPD in June 2017 as a Front Desk Agents. Gina’s personality and willingness to help students has dramatically improved the level of service that students receive when entering the office. She has been an active member of the Pre-Pharmacy Club, Lead Scholars, Knight Watch Peer Mentor Program, and National Society of Leadership and Success. She will be graduating with a BS in Health Sciences and has been accepted into the University of Tennessee’s Pharmacy program for Fall 2019.

Thanks again to all of you!  Charge On!