When professor emeritus of social welfare Michael J. Austin ’64, MSW ’66, first went to UCLA before transferring to Berkeley, he said he was “bouncing off the walls.” Directionless and heading toward academic probation, what he desperately needed was guidance.
That’s what he wants to give Berkeley students now through the freshman seminar he leads along with Daniel Melia, professor emeritus of Celtic studies and rhetoric. Titled “Choosing a Major and Exploring Careers,” the course guides first-year students through the difficulties of deciding what to study and how to navigate campus bureaucracy.
And it’s not just the challenges of entering college that concerns Austin. Also important, he thinks, is how they leave. “Entry and exit are two things that we think most universities do a miserable job of addressing,” he says.
The seminar is a project of Berkeley’s Emeriti Academy, where retired professors come together to mentor students, host panels, and otherwise engage in collaborative projects with each other and the larger community.
While there’s no lack of resources at Berkeley to help students find their way—there’s the Career Engagement center, academic advising, campus events, professors, seminars—Austin says that freshmen often still feel overwhelmed.
The seminar, which currently has 18 enrolled students, is said to be the first of its kind at Berkeley, and students said they’ve benefited from what they’ve learned so far.
Emily Mendez ’29 said a key lesson from the class was being aware of the deadlines for dropping courses and “understanding that I don’t have to just immediately drop out.”
When first-year pre-psychology major Juan Gomez-Aguilar ’29 completed a personality assessment for class, he discovered he was more attracted to unpredictable and adventurous work than he previously thought.
“The class has helped me figure out how to both navigate the Berkeley website in terms of searching for classes or searching for majors, but [also] in general, getting a better understanding of what I want to seek out of my journey here,” Gomez-Aguilar said.
During an October class, the professors talked about the importance of office hours (ask your professor about their life’s work), how to track major requirements (keep a spreadsheet), and what to do when dealing with personal crises (talk to somebody).
The second half of the seminar will be taught by career center counselors—people it might otherwise take students up to a week to see for one-on-one appointments.
Austin and Melia plan to teach the seminar again in the spring.
In the meantime, the Emeriti Academy hosts a Choosing My Major story project online, where faculty, alumni, and students are invited to submit a brief video about how and why they made their choice. Got a story to tell about finding your path? Email [email protected] to learn how you can contribute.
