Whether one would like to admit it or not, the answer to the dreaded question, “What’s your major?” always comes along with some judgment. In fact, whenever I tell people I go to Cal Poly I get “Are you an engineering major?” No. “Architecture?” No, journalism. And while it feels as though all of society looks down upon majors within the college of liberal arts, I’m here to tell you 5 reasons why I couldn’t be more proud of my college.
1. We stay well rounded.
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Just because we are in the college of liberal arts doesn’t mean that we are insufficient in the math and science world. I spent my middle school years battling IB science courses and taking advanced math classes. I continued onto high school in which I enrolled in honors and AP math and science courses. In fact, I did so well in my high school math classes that I was able to get past 2 levels of math here in college. And still, now at a 4-year university, I am able to be a strong contributor to my required math and science classes. Just because writing is our strength, that doesn’t mean we have an immediate weakness in other areas of study. Liberal arts students can be just as intelligent in their math and science classes are they are in their major courses.
2. We are communicators.
Social skills and writing are two attributes that every adult needs. Whether it is being interviewed for a job, writing a cover letter or even putting together your PhD thesis research, social skills and writing are essential to succeeding in this world. Liberal arts students are taught how to best interact with others and expand their knowledge on the best writing strategies. When attending an interview, Liberal Arts students are able to create strong conversation, stay poised and speak with eloquence. Strong social skills are beneficial in both the career world and the real world.
3. We are resilient and dedicated.
While everyone else is out there telling us our major is “easy” or asking us “what will you do with a degree like that?” we stick to our hearts. Major shaming is a huge issue on my campus, and I am sure many others as well. But throughout the hate and the degrading comments, we stay dedicated to our work. We work equally as hard in our classes as the people who are telling us that their classes are harder than ours or that we “aren’t smart enough for their classes.”
4. We go against what society tells us is “smart.”
Many students are brought up in cultures that hold higher regard, respect and value for those pursuing a career to be a doctor or businessman. In fact, most of our society as a whole tells us we will be more respected for our intelligence as a doctor or a businessman. However, as liberal arts students, we go against the status quo. We stand up for what we want to do rather than what others want us to do. We don’t need others to tell us we are smart or successful, because we know in our hearts that we are.
5. We follow our passions.
The main reason I am proud to be in the college of liberal arts is because we follow our passions. The careers we are going into, unfortunately, don’t pay the Benjamin’s like all of us wish. Jobs like teachers, artists, actors and reporters are not paid in six-digit incomes. But that’s OK for us. We proceed in careers for the passion and the love of the job rather than some more money in our bank. We don’t need money as motivation or as a pin for success, we love what we do.
I am sure many of you are thinking “Math and science majors have these qualities, too!” and you’re completely right. It isn’t only liberal arts kids who follow their passion, prove resilience or stay well-rounded, just as it’s not only math and science students who are truly intelligent. Everyone chooses their major off of what they want to do, what their passions are and what they are good at. In fact, maybe some math and science majors would have a hard time writing 10-page papers, just as liberal arts student might have a difficult time in organic chemistry. This is not to say anyone is better, smarter or more successful than the other. It is time to start embracing everyone for their talents and stop tearing others down for the college of their major. Everyone got into college the same way, don’t forget that.
