{ "138285-21882717": { "datetime_modified":"20250829T101127", "datetime_start":"20250910T143000", "datetime_end":"20250910T155000", "has_end_time":1, "date_start":"2025-09-10", "date_end":"2025-09-10", "time_start":"14:30:00", "time_end":"15:50:00", "time_zone":"America\/Detroit", "event_title":"Learning the Major: The Role of Early Specialization in Educational and Labor Market Outcomes", "occurrence_title":"", "combined_title":"Learning the Major: The Role of Early Specialization in Educational and Labor Market Outcomes: Xiaomeng Li, University of Michigan", "event_subtitle":"Xiaomeng Li, University of Michigan", "event_type":"Workshop \/ Seminar", "event_type_id":"21", "description":"This paper examines how the timing of college field specialization affects students\u2019 educational and labor market outcomes. To study this question, I exploit a 2011 policy change at a Midwestern flagship university that incentivized only engineering students to declare a major earlier. I develop a conceptual framework in which students learn about their match quality across majors through course grades while accumulating credits toward graduation. Earlier major declaration increases exposure to major-specific high-level coursework, but also reduces flexibility to exit the initial field as a result of increased specialization, creating a trade-off. The framework generates predictions that I test empirically using a difference-in-differences design. I find that the policy increased within-engineering switching by 75%, reduced exits from engineering by 80%, and improved academic outcomes, as reflected in higher GPAs and a 14% increase in honors graduation rates. LinkedIn-based career data further indicate enhanced early career outcomes in engineering: greater persistence in engineering positions, longer initial job tenure, and a greater likelihood of attaining managerial roles. These results suggest that, in settings where students retain flexibility in major selection, incentivizing early major declaration can improve student-major match quality.", "occurrence_notes":null, "guid":"138285-21882717@events.umich.edu", "permalink":"http:\/\/events.umich.edu\/event\/138285", "building_id":"1000154", "building_name":"Lorch Hall", "campus_maps_id":"88", "room":"201", "location_name":"Lorch Hall", "has_livestream":0, "cost":"", "tags":["Economics","Labor","seminar"], "website":"http:\/\/www.lsa.umich.edu\/econ", "sponsors":[ { "group_name":"Department of Economics", "group_id":"3302", "website":"http:\/\/www.lsa.umich.edu\/econ" }, { "group_name":"ISR-Zwerdling Seminar in Labor Economics", "group_id":"3551", "website":"" }, { "group_name":"Department of Economics Seminars", "group_id":"3566", "website":"" } ], "image_url":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/attachments\/2025\/08\/event_138285_original-2.jpg", "styled_images":{ "event_thumb":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/resolve\/event_thumb\/media\/attachments\/2025\/08\/event_138285_original-2.jpg", "event_large":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_large\/media\/attachments\/2025\/08\/event_138285_original-2.jpg", "event_large_2x":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_large_2x\/media\/attachments\/2025\/08\/event_138285_original-2.jpg", "event_large_lightbox":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_large_lightbox\/media\/attachments\/2025\/08\/event_138285_original-2.jpg", "group_thumb":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/resolve\/group_thumb\/media\/attachments\/2025\/08\/event_138285_original-2.jpg", "group_thumb_square":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/resolve\/group_thumb_square\/media\/attachments\/2025\/08\/event_138285_original-2.jpg", "group_large":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/resolve\/group_large\/media\/attachments\/2025\/08\/event_138285_original-2.jpg", "group_large_lightbox":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/resolve\/group_large_lightbox\/media\/attachments\/2025\/08\/event_138285_original-2.jpg", "event_large_crop":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/resolve\/event_large_crop\/media\/attachments\/2025\/08\/event_138285_original-2.jpg", "event_list":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/resolve\/event_list\/media\/attachments\/2025\/08\/event_138285_original-2.jpg", "event_list_2x":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_list_2x\/media\/attachments\/2025\/08\/event_138285_original-2.jpg", "event_grid":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/event_grid\/media\/attachments\/2025\/08\/event_138285_original-2.jpg", "event_grid_2x":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/resolve\/event_grid_2x\/media\/attachments\/2025\/08\/event_138285_original-2.jpg", "event_feature_large":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/resolve\/event_feature_large\/media\/attachments\/2025\/08\/event_138285_original-2.jpg", "event_feature_thumb":"https:\/\/events.umich.edu\/media\/cache\/resolve\/event_feature_thumb\/media\/attachments\/2025\/08\/event_138285_original-2.jpg" }, "occurrence_count":1, "first_occurrence":21882717 } , "138811-21883966": { "datetime_modified":"20250904T112401", "datetime_start":"20250910T143000", "datetime_end":"20250910T153000", "has_end_time":1, "date_start":"2025-09-10", "date_end":"2025-09-10", "time_start":"14:30:00", "time_end":"15:30:00", "time_zone":"America\/Detroit", "event_title":"Student Number Theory: Who lives in the Bruhat-Tits building?", "occurrence_title":"", "combined_title":"Student Number Theory: Who lives in the Bruhat-Tits building?: Ram Ekstrom", "event_subtitle":"Ram Ekstrom", "event_type":"Workshop \/ Seminar", "event_type_id":"21", "description":"In this talk I will explain how under mild tameness assumptions one can naturally associate to a point in the Bruhat-Tits building a reductive subgroup which enjoys several desirable properties. Of course, I will give a short introduction to the theory of buildings\u2014paying particular attention to the usage of integral models. As usual we will work out several fun examples and calculations.", "occurrence_notes":null, "guid":"138811-21883966@events.umich.edu", "permalink":"http:\/\/events.umich.edu\/event\/138811", "building_id":"1000166", "building_name":"East Hall", "campus_maps_id":"53", "room":"3088", "location_name":"East Hall", "has_livestream":0, "cost":"", "tags":["Mathematics"], "website":"", "sponsors":[ { "group_name":"Student Number Theory Seminar - Department of Mathematics", "group_id":"4906", "website":"" }, { "group_name":"Department of Mathematics", "group_id":"3791", "website":"" } ], "image_url":"", "styled_images":{ "event_thumb":"", "event_large":"", "event_large_2x":"", "event_large_lightbox":"", "group_thumb":"", "group_thumb_square":"", "group_large":"", "group_large_lightbox":"", "event_large_crop":"", "event_list":"", "event_list_2x":"", "event_grid":"", "event_grid_2x":"", "event_feature_large":"", "event_feature_thumb":"" }, "occurrence_count":1, "first_occurrence":21883966 } }