Jeff Northrop

I love camping and rock climbing, and when I came to IU I already knew what I wanted to do for my career after graduation - get into the outdoor recreation equipment business. What I didnt know was what major would be best. With the help of my University Division academic advisor and Exploratory Student Services (ESS) counselor, I realized that some combination of a major and one or more minors would be the best way to go.

I was advised that the best majors and minors to explore were marketing in the School of Business and recreation in the School of Health, Physical Education, and Recreation. I also knew that I had an interest in psychology. My ESS counselor gave me a whole list of professors and advisors to contact in these departments. He pointed me in different directions and new paths that I had not thought about taking. But he didnt give me any answers - instead, he insisted that I go and talk to these people and ask questions to get the answers I needed. I think that is one of the things that helped me the most - going and meeting with these advisors and professors myself. After talking to several of them plus some people in the recreation business, I was able to confidently decide on a marketing major and psychology minor.

It seemed obvious to complete a minor in recreation also. When my advisor showed me the courses required for the recreation minor, they werent the right recreation courses for what I wanted to do. The recreation department did, however, offer several other courses that interested me. So, I learned that in addition to my major and minor I can use my electives to select my own choice of recreation courses. And, I can call that something like -Specialization in Recreation courses- on my resume.

So, I have decided to major in business marketing with a minor in psychology and also fit in as many outdoor recreation courses as I can. My classes have been really high quality, and I feel confident Ive found the right focus here at IU.