By Angel Martinez
Hey everybody! We are well into the last half of winter term which means we’re approaching our last term of the academic year. It’s crazy how time is moving so fast. Since registration is around the corner I want to plant a seed in your head about potentially diversifying your academic experience here at OSU.
A little background about me; the original reason why I came to OSU was because they have an awesome veterinarian program. I was going to major in pre-vet med and minor in theater. It’s hilarious to me now, but at the time it was the most obvious choice for my life. When I figured out that I didn’t want to be a vet *hehe 5weeks after I started college* I had a little bit of a meltdown.
Winter term I took a bacc core class in Intro to Sociology, fell in love, and declared it as my major. Spring term rolled around, I took an intro class to Anthropology; fell in love and by my sophomore year I took it on as a second major. At some time point my sophomore year I decided to drop my theater minor. I still loved theater but a double major with a minor was a little too intimidating for me. By the time junior year rolled around I had toyed with the idea of picking up philosophy, ethnic studies, women studies, and writing and adding them to my program of study in some way. I never did, but I got a lot of enjoyment from those classes.
By the end of my junior year I was faced with having to graduate late because of my double major. I decided in order to graduate on time I would drop my anthropology into a minor and keep my sociology as my major. Here we are, almost a year later and I am truly satisfied with my decision. But it did take about three years to figure out and A LOT of exploring.
One thing I really want to encourage everyone to think about is that you shouldn’t be afraid to change your mind. If I stuck to my original plan I would not be content with my future after college. Some students get it right on the first pick, but most don’t, and that’s okay! Use this time to explore, add a major, try out a minor or two, and explore these cool interdisciplinary minors called certificates. Be careful to stay on track with graduation by checking in with your advisor, and don’t go too long with narrowing down to your passion, but do take some time to explore a little. It’s a great way to utilize your elective credits.
For those of you interested in second degrees. At OSU, you have the ability to get a secondary degree in Education that enables you to earn your teaching certification in the state of Oregon when you graduate. Or, if you are interested in a more global perspective, maybe the International degree is right for you. For the smarty pants folks in the crowd, joining the honors college might be the perfect choice.
Maybe diversifying your experience isn’t even about multiple majors or minors. Maybe it’s joining a student organization, giving back to your community or finding another way to make your educational experience so much more than what you are learning in the classroom.
For most of us, this is the only time we will be undergraduate students at a university. Don’t spend this time in a small box never knowing all that your college has to offer. Your passion may be right around the corner.
