Tag Archives: Major

“So, What Are You Going to Major In?”

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The summer before leaving home for college, first-year students are constantly asked “what are you going to major in?” I never had a definitive answer. I would usually reply with a vague “I’m not sure”, or sometimes, “I am going to a liberal arts college, I’m not supposed to know what I will major in yet”. I knew I did not particularly enjoy STEM classes, and kind of enjoyed writing, but did not feel the urge to declare my love for any one subject just yet. In addition, I did not believe in the assumption behind the question. How are students who have not taken a single college class supposed to be certain of the academic path they intent to pursue?

College is a time for self-discovery and for taking classes that you enjoy and are genuinely interested in. Now that I am in the midst of my second semester at Scripps, I have a better grasp of what subjects interest me, and what subjects definitely do not interest me. I see my potential major as a puzzle and I’m discovering the pieces that will make the picture complete. Last semester, I took an “Introduction to Digital Art” class where we learned how to use Adobe Photoshop and created portfolios of our work. Through this class, I discovered my interest in video editing. My Writing 50 class reminded me of how much I enjoy analytical writing. Taking French 22 and French 33 taught me that I enjoy the grammar of French but do not enjoy comprehension. I am now taking Psychology and find the topic intriguing and applicable to so much in life. Through taking Macroeconomics, I am discovering that I probably won’t be an Economics major but can benefit from understanding basic economic principles.

While I will probably change my mind more than once, I currently see myself majoring in Psychology and minoring in Media Studies. Even though I have not yet taken a Media Studies class, I plan to next semester and have a feeling that I will enjoy it.

I think that one of the biggest lessons the first year of college is teaching me is not taught in any course: the lesson to accept and be at peace with uncertainty.  I am in the habit of constantly trying to plan every aspect of my days and of my future. Planning gives me great comfort and a sense of security, and it helps me feel in control. College is teaching me that even though I do not yet know what I will major in, let alone what I will eat for lunch tomorrow, that’s ok. What I do know is that I am going to take amazing classes, continue my passion for learning, and, eventually, discover what my major will be.

 

Clueless Course Registration

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It feels like just the other day I called home in tears as I scrolled through the Portal on my laptop to pick classes for my second semester. I couldn’t fathom how to pick the four classes that would lead me to the elusive perfect major and passion of my dreams. I refreshed the portal in a panic, watching in despair as all of my chosen classes filled to the brim.

As my first-choice options dwindled away, one by one, a new wave of terror flooded over me as I realized that I had to put myself through another round of choices, this time factoring in those that had any space remaining.  

I randomly scrolled through the most disparate reaches of the portal, browsing through every single option of the dropdown “Course Area” menu to make sure I had left no stone unturned.

Of course, this left me feeling not only overwhelmed with options, but also with the looming fear that I would make a wrong choice. I had no declared major, no four year plan, a good-hearted (but distracted) advisor, and no schedule.

In the end, I followed the advice I had heard on loop from my advisor–“Fulfill your GEs!” I managed to sign up for courses that all fulfilled GEs, despite the fact that I wasn’t sure how interested I was in them. Environmental? Econ? Anthropology?

I was halfway trying to listen to the suggestions of my family and friends–to take classes I thought sounded interesting–but I felt too grounded in what seemed ‘practical’ and also, honestly, scared to take the classes too far out of my comfort zone.

So, second semester, I had a schedule that checked off a whole lot of the boxes that needed to be filled before I could graduate, but little headway on a major. Maybe I should have pushed myself more to try a class I didn’t feel seasoned enough to be in. Or maybe I should have pushed harder to get into that class I for which I was waitlisted.

But, it turns out that the world of the registrar had other things in store for me. Due to a professor’s unexpected leave, my Core II class was cancelled. My whole schedule was up in the air again as I tried to pick a Core that was still open, didn’t conflict with my other classes, and sounded intriguing. It was a bit of a mess. I ended up in a Core that was less humanities focused that I would have liked, and only managed at the last second to swap into the Core I had originally hoped to be in, taught by an English professor.

And honestly, it was my favorite class. As exasperated as I was at the time, having to pick a whole other set of classes, I am so glad it happened. If it hadn’t, I wouldn’t have taken a class that made me feel as though my contributions were valuable to class discussion, a class I always looked forward to and where it suddenly wasn’t daunting to speak up. The class not only helped establish my voice and confidence as a student, but also truly helped me understand what I enjoyed doing.

It led me to take my first real English class this semester, and as indecisive as I am, professors have been so supportive and let me know that I am making a valid choice.

With the spring semester Scripps course catalogue just released, I am actually looking forward to choosing my classes, instead of desperately looking for anything that might be vaguely interesting to me, or even just open. So, next time a class is full or my schedule gets turned upside down, I’ll remember that it’s not always a bad thing–just a time to really consider what I think could be a step in the right direction.

Voicing Major Concerns

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Do you know that friend that can never make a decision? The one who always asks, “well, what do you want to do?” or “I’ll do whatever you think is best”? That’s definitely me.

Don’t even get me started on trying to order dinner at a new restaurant. I’m always the one who asks to go last and anxiously looks over all the entrées so anxious I won’t pick the right one that I can’t choose at all. In the end, I’ll usually ask for the waitress’ favorite, and order it even if it’s something I’m not sure I’ll like.

My indecision isn’t reserved only for eating out or plans with friends. Even in class, I will be so concerned that a conclusion I have come to will be incorrect that I often simply wait to hear someone else’s answer. In grade school, simply being able to regurgitate information verbatim wasn’t an issue. But, as college class conversations climb further into the theoretical realm, it has suddenly become painfully clear that I am not comfortable contributing.

All this indecision stems from not feeling confident in my own ideas and contributions, and has compounded itself to the point where I am not even confident in making decisions for myself. Namely, choosing a major. Even looking at the long list of majors to choose from sends me into a panicked tizzy. I can barely digest the requirements of any major I might consider out of some strange fear that I will choose the wrong one. (Of course, not understanding what I’m getting myself into is one of the best ways to make a wrong choice.) I am left hoping that someone else will speak up and make this choice for me, allowing me to simply fall into line.

But in reality, I need to be the one to find my voice and confidence in order to choose a major that I will find fulfilling.

In class, I am trying to build my voice through several different tactics. In courses where I feel particularly shy/quiet, I sometimes bring a few fun-sized pieces of candy in my backpack. I’ll treat myself with a Kit-Kat or a Reese’s when I speak up, despite my worry that my contribution won’t be genius enough for the discussion. (This will work even better after Halloween – swing by my room in Toll for some motivational candy if you’d like!)

I have also gotten in touch with several incredibly kind professors who have made it easier for me to speak up in class. One teacher in particular suggested that I create questions based on the reading before class and send them to her over email. She then lets me know which questions will be best to bring up in class to help contribute to the continuing conversation. In office hours the other day, she shared with me that she often felt the same way in college, not confident sharing thoughts with the class that seemed to have a much more developed critical vocabulary than she did at the time.

In sociology, I left almost every lecture feeling the (very few) contributions I had made were completely off the mark and useless to the discussion. It wasn’t until I met with my professor just the other day that he let me know that he felt my comments were always well constructed and had been immensely helpful to the class’ learning.

Hearing this positive feedback from my professors is an incredible reminder that I do have valid and important thoughts that deserve to be voiced. Knowing this has given me a confidence boost that extends itself to all aspects of my life, including choosing a major.

I’m definitely not quite ready to proclaim my major to the world tomorrow, but I am one step closer to trusting my voice.

An Indecisive Narrative

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I am certainly one of those college students who changed my mind about my major hundreds of time. There was even a short 10 minutes when I considered the 3-2 Engineering program–spoiler: that was NOT going to happen as you have to plan for that starting day one. I came to Scripps wanting to be an Economics and Politics major, but quickly changed my mind. Neither were really my passions and I especially did not enjoy my politics classes. The question was: now what? And trust me, everyone was asking.  My friends still tease me about my major selection process, and I have to admit that it doesn’t feel good to feel like the one who doesn’t have it all figured out. Unlike me, my best friend always knew she’d be a Neuroscience major and my boyfriend always knew he’d be a Computer Science major–I felt like the odd one out.

It took some stumbling along the way, but taking Arabic really shaped what I wanted to do. I wanted to somehow incorporate Arabic into a major because I love it so much and want to keep learning about the language. At first, I thought to do Late Antique Medieval Studies through Pomona, but eventually have decided to do Middle East & North African Studies because more language courses can count towards that major, so I can study Arabic for longer and go abroad easily. I had actually stumbled into doing a lot of the requirements and those politics classes that I thought were a waste counted as electives. Phew. That took a while. But I wasn’t satisfied.

Gee thanks, XKCD....

Gee thanks, XKCD….

Last summer–at the tail end–I switched into an English class. I had never once considered studying English in college. After all the talk about how unprofitable it is, I don’t think it once crossed my mind even though I absolutely love literature, arguments, and reading. English, of course, is perfect for me. I get to pick apart texts and read fantastic literature for homework! I have had great experiences with Scripps English faculty and am enjoying my very first Pitzer class as well.

However, then comes the inevitable question I always dread: so….what’re you going to do with that? I’m not completely sure. I want to go to law school and English lends itself really well to law. Learning a second language is a good and marketable skill, so I can easily sell my Arabic skills. But should I have to? I am challenging myself and learning in a way that makes me happy and fulfilled. Scripps prepares well rounded women who can learn to market their liberal arts skills.

If you’re considering an “unprofitable” major, my best advice is to go with what makes you happy. I didn’t decide to be an Economics major because I wasn’t excited by Economics or the job prospects that many of the Scripps Economics majors have. It’s not my thing. If you’re doing a major that isn’t your real interest because you think it’ll lead to a good career, think about what those careers are and why you want to pursue them first. I’ve had Scripps students say things to me like “English majors like you are the reason Scripps doesn’t make as much money [in donations],” which is not true. Some people will be negative about your choices, but that doesn’t mean you should stray from what makes you happy.

You study here, right?

You study here, right?

In fact, you may be much better at selling that Anthropology major that you adore than the Computer Science major that you feel rather meh about. Remember that you can always take Statistics, Economics, Accounting, Computer Science, etc courses to put on a resume without having to really commit to a major that you’re unhappy with. Stay true to yourself and your goals and be okay with those things changing. College isn’t where we have to figure it all out, but it is a unique opportunity to learn and grow in the way you choose to.

Pick A Card, Any Card!

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Random is definitely not a word I’d associate with the process of choosing my classes and major. Recently, planning my academics and extra-curriculars while trying to anticipate every outcome left me feeling dazed and confused. I overthought everything so much I didn’t know what to do. I went in for a counseling appointment at CP&R needing an outside perspective to lift me out of my fog of paralysis.

Enter Valinda and her magical Values Card Sort. Here’s how it works: you simply sort a stack of cards, each with a different value—an aspect of a potential professional role, in order of importance to you. My top ten values (in no particular order) are the following:

  • Structure and predictability
  • Knowledge
  • Diversity
  • Location
  • Advancement
  • Precision work
  • Affiliation
  • Exercise competence
  • Time freedom
  • Aesthetics

Because I’m a visual learner, ranking and rearranging the cards really helped me articulate my big picture end goals. Having this list in front of me enabled me to analyze exactly what I found so attractive about different career options. It also enabled me to compare them. Allow me to digress…

 When I was in elementary school, I was a huge dork. I loved books so much (Boxcar Children, Magic Treehouse, A Series of Unfortunate Events, and Artemis Fowl were my favorites) that I would stay inside during recess to read. So it’s probably no surprise that my childhood dream was to become a librarian.

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When I was in second grade, I got in trouble with Ms. Labagh for hiding a book in my lap and reading under my desk during “Reading” class. | Source: MagicTreehouseBooks.net

As I’ve gotten older, that little dream has been set aside by different experiences that led my decision to major in Economics-Accounting and minor in Art History. Since coming to college, I’ve been on track to become an accountant in the art world. It seemed to be the most logical marriage between my major and minor; my practical, orderly personality and my desire for unbounded learning and aesthetic stimulation…that, and I have to be financially independent after graduation.

So to return to my list of values above: being a librarian would satisfy most of the values I chose. But there probably wouldn’t be a lot of opportunities for advancement or a notable affiliation unless I worked at a big library. Being an accountant would satisfy a lot of these values too, but there wouldn’t be a lot of time freedom or aesthetic appreciation. Working my way through this list has helped me structure my analysis when considering other possibilities.

Last week, while researching internship opportunities to post on the NIC database as part of my responsibilities at CP&R, I realized there are so other many roles I’d love to try that meet my values. I could be a collections manager and be in charge of a museum’s art collection (a librarian for art!); or work in institutional development and help non-profits like Scripps and LACMA grow; or become an art appraiser and research artwork and market trends to value works of art. Reading through the job descriptions and comparing them with my values helped me picture myself in these roles.

In the words of AnnE, a fellow career consultant: “[Researching internships] is dangerous. I’ve changed my career path four times in the past hour!”

The revelation of there being so many potentially good fits was kind of scary. I’ve told myself and so many other people for so long that I want to be an accountant in the art world, that to let go of that goal at this moment isn’t something I can embrace just yet. I’m not ready to erase that identifier or change my major, mainly because I have no work experience in accounting (yet!). I don’t know what it’s really like. I hope my accounting interview next week goes well, but realizing that there are so many avenues beyond is a big reassurance too.