I am a Psychology/English double major with a minor(still to be determined) from the Honors Program. Now is usually the point when people nod their heads politely and smile. They offer a generic response about what an interesting pairing that is, or they demand to know what is I plan to do with that. There is almost always another person who feels the need to inform me that the job market is hard and I should be ready to go to graduate school with that as my undergrad.
It doesn't stop there either. Recently I've noticed a development I like to call "major shaming". Certain people are smart because of their major and others are not. While it is true certain majors have more work, your major does not determine your intelligence. I am a firm believer that people are smart in their own unique ways. It took all my effort to pass math with B, but I hand me a paper and I'll correct that grammar like my life depended on it, and I'll enjoy it. Even in the thick of a semester when everything is hard, I still enjoy my work.
The idea of choosing a major I wouldn't enjoy perplexes me. I have roughly three classes a day, plus homework, and jobs. How could I spend the time and energy studying something that didn't interest me? My career path will not be clear cut. I can't tell you exactly what I want to do, but I know I wake up excited every single day to learn.
I was sitting in Psychology class Thursday morning discussing family risk factors and the impacts on a person's life. My professor looked at the class and said you all must believe there is something that happens, there is something you can do to help the path of someone's life. If you didn't believe that, you would not be sitting here today. I smiled and jotted it down because it is true. I do believe that and that's all I really want to do. I want to help people. I want to give to someone what others have given to me. I want to give someone the nudge they need and watch them flourish beyond belief.
I love being able to read literature from hundreds of years ago and understand what that person was saying. I can glimpse into a completely different life and time. I love being able to look at a person and understand how the brain works.
I have learned that I don't owe anyone an explanation for my choice. These are my student loans so I want to study something that opens my mind. I want to study something that floods my brain. I want to study something I enjoy.
I am not just a Psychology major. I am not just an English major. Those are my majors and I am proud of that.
