Boston University academics departments battled with with marbles and balancing acts Thursday in an attempt to draw students to their professions at the second annual Majors Expo.

Undergraduate departments from every school represented themselves at the exposition in hopes of educating new and undecided students about the availability of majors at BU, much like the College of Arts and Sciences’ Major Choices Week.

The event, hosted by the Student Union Academic Affairs Committee in Metcalf Hall, drew 500 students, Union President Matt Seidel said.

“We keep hearing about the idea of ‘one BU,’ but this is a practical usage of that idea,” Seidel said. “Unlike Major Choices Week, where it gets lost in the shuffle of events and many people don’t know about it until it’s over, today, everyone’s in the same place, thinking about their options.”

Seidel, a College of Arts and Sciences junior, said he sees the exposition eventually becoming “foremost event” in academics.

“We had solid numbers last year, and now the administration seems to be taking us more seriously,” he said. “We’re now the [academic] equivalent of Splash.”

Graduate students and upperclassmen used presentation boards, multimedia slideshows and science experiments to attract students and provided information not usually found in brochures and introductory classes.

At the physics table, physics department director Claudio Rebbi told students that a major in physics gives students a mindset for thinking critically, which is coveted by employers in all fields.

“With physics, you’re always playing around,” CAS graduate student Sebastian Remi said, while pushing marbles into a tube to show magnetism.

At the anthropology table, CAS seniors Sara Polefka and Alonso Antunez de Mayolo gave a presentation about how anthropology actually teaches its students to think holistically about life and make connections with others.

While Majors Expo is ultimately intended to provide undecided students with information on choosing a primary major, it also introduced the idea of dual degrees or minors, Polefka and Antunez de Mayolo said.

With professors and department chairs present, the exposition provided students the ability to speak with many of the people who would be teaching them, School of Management junior Flora Oh said.

“It’s a nice way to talk to experts and ask about majors,” she said.

The BU Collaborative Degree Program, which allows students to double-major, and the CAS academic advising department shared a booth to advise students about adding a second major.

CAS academic counselor Sarah Niles said she was pleased with BUCOP’s presence at the Majors Expo.

“Most of the people here are incoming students, and they’re new to the BU community, so they’re not familiar with the program,” she said. “This is a good opportunity to let them know [about BUCOP].”

CAS freshman Maddie Bourque, who is currently undeclared, said she was optimistic about the opportunities offered at the exposition.

“I’m pre-law, and wanted to find a major that works for me,” she said. “I think I’ll leave with a better idea of where I will go next.”

Natalie Schiera contributed reporting to this article.