As students left their rooms for another day of class Wednesday morning, many of them were preparing for something else entirely. Hundreds made their way to the College Green at noon to speak with employers at this year’s first career fair.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — More than 1,800 students participated in the Fall Career Fair, making it one of the largest to date. It featured 113 different employers in fields as diverse as education, finance, activism, consulting, media, and technology.

Voices filled the tent between University Hall and Sayles Hall as students moved between booths to speak with representatives about their skills, qualifications, and concentration. The two-day event, which began on Tuesday, included more representatives from public health agencies, educational groups, and media organizations than last year.

“It helped me know what opportunities are out there in terms of internships and jobs,” said Eric Hu, who studies applied math, computer science, and economics.

It also gave students the opportunity to think about careers they hadn’t thought about, said Jim Amspacher, an adviser and acting director at the Center for Careers and Life After Brown.

Companies included big names like Microsoft Corporation, Google, and Bain & Company. Some familiar and new names included Venture for America, Irish Dairy Board, and the Communications Media Advisors.

Excitement surrounding the fair wasn’t one-sided.

“Brown students are tremendously successful,” said Paul Sledd, a university recruiter for Microsoft. “Seeing the quality of their work makes us want to recruit here more often.”

Tom Fink, a representative for Dropbox, added that Brown undergraduates are enthusiastic, ambitions, but most importantly smart.

Numerous students lined up take a picture at a LinkedIn booth set up in Sayles Hall, a sign that online networking is becoming increasingly important for job seekers, Amspacher said.

More information on upcoming career fairs is available online