Small majors cope with limited options

UCLA student Jeanette Canela had trouble signing up for courses
this quarter ““ not because there was no room for her to
enroll ““ but because the classes she needed for her major
were simply not offered.

The classes that Canela, a third-year international development
studies student, needs are not offered every quarter ““ a
result of the small size of her major.

“Right now, I’m having trouble finding a third class
that applies to my major that I haven’t already taken and
that is offered,” she said.

Canela’s scheduling difficulties are not uncommon for
students in small majors, as the departments cannot afford to offer
all the necessary classes each quarter for small amounts of
students.

Nonetheless, students are opting to enter small majors because
of the advantages they offer: more interpersonal relationships and
greater flexibility over students in large majors.

Fellow third-year IDS student Tiffany San José is one such
student who likes having a small major, even with the scheduling
conflicts it can create.

“I’m scared that the lack of availability of some
necessary courses will affect my graduating on time,” she
said.

Some of the classes Canela and San José need may be offered
as infrequently as once a year.

The inability for small majors to offer all the necessary
classes each quarter is widespread, and different majors combat the
problem in several ways.

One option for the cognitive science major in the psychology
department is to have the requirements overlap with courses offered
in larger majors.

Cognitive science students take most of their required courses
from large departments, such as math and psychology, and their
classes are usually offered quarterly.

Third-year cognitive science Bill Mettler said all the classes
he needs have been offered each quarter. But he noted that while
his classes have always been offered, he has not always been able
to enroll in them since they are often overcrowded.

Still, Mettler said his major’s interdepartmental approach
works well for him.

“Cognitive science itself is interdepartmental, so it
makes sense that my courses come from a variety of
departments,” he said.

“I like that I get to take classes from different
departments; it gives me a more balanced education,” he
added.

Besides overlapping courses with larger majors, other small
majors help their students get the classes they need to graduate by
allowing flexible course substitutions.

“If a certain class is not offered for a long time, the
student consults me regarding possible substitutions,” said
Olga Kagan, director of the Russian language program and student
adviser for the Department of Slavic languages and literatures.

Though smaller majors may have scheduling conflicts, many
students enjoy and appreciate their majors.

“Being an IDS major is great because there’s such a
range of different courses that I can take,” Canela said.

Boris Dralyuk, a fourth-year Slavic language and literature
student, said he likes being in a small major because of the
increased interpersonal relationships between staff and
students.

“The faculty and advisers are very concerned about each
student,” he said of his major. “One of the advantages
of a small major is that they’re always willing to
accommodate the students.”

Kagan, Dralyuk’s adviser, said the size of her department
allows her to cater to each student individually and help him or
her as best she can.

“I know all of our majors and minors quite well and am
able to talk to them about their individual needs and
interests,” she said.

The small size of these majors allows their students to also
feel more connected with their peers, who they often see in their
classes.

“It’s a small group of people. It doesn’t feel
like a huge, competitive major.” Mettler said. “Larger
majors don’t feel as unified as we do.”