Hello, beautiful! I'm so excited for today's post because it's finally the day I get to share the project I've been working on for the past month or so.
In late February and early March, I'll be sharing a two-part series called "Why I Chose My Major." The reason why I'm so excited about this series, however, is because it's my very first collab on Haley Marie Blog!
Sixteen other amazing bloggers joined forces with me to share the stories of how they chose their majors for this series. I love each blogger for a different reason, but the best part about this series as a whole is that you will get a glimpse into so many different unique and interesting journeys! As I was putting this together, I truly got the sense that every blogger had chosen a path that was perfect for them - and I can't wait to share that inspiring energy with you today.
And, of course, to any of the bloggers who might be reading this, working with you all was the most incredible experience - I hope we can do it again sometime!
For the first installment of Why I Chose My Major, you'll get to read a bunch of different stories from eight amazing bloggers. Plus, I'll also be sharing the story of how I chose my double-majors in Journalism and Political Science :) So, stay tuned until the very end for my story - and be sure to stop by on March 2nd for Part II of this awesome series!
Tula of Tula Talks Entertainment, LLC
Major: Communications with a concentration in Broadcast Journalism
College: Bowie State University
"Ever since I was five, I wanted to be a pediatrician. I
realized my passion for the world of entertainment when I tried out for my
first play in middle school which altered my career goals. Going into college, I
was pretty confused as to what I wanted my major to be. I contemplated studying Business Management, but the amount of math classes turned me off; I thought
about studying Biology and even considered studying Fashion Merchandising because
I would have the opportunity to study one year at FIT NY.
Within the first two weeks of my freshman year at University of Maryland Eastern Shore, I attended a career fair and that is when
I realized that I needed to study Communications and Broadcast Journalism. The
rest is history! I obtained a Bachelors of Science in Communications with a
concentration in Broadcast Journalism from Bowie State University in 2013 and
has since started Tula Talks Entertainment
LLC. My company is bringing back the balance in media by producing content
that entertains and inspires millennials. Aside from my company, my major has [also] afforded me the opportunity to get a job working with Public Affairs."
Sareeta of Flight and Scarlet
Major: Drama and Education (combined degree program)
College: University of Alberta, Canada
"I went to the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Drama with a minor in English. I graduated pretty recently, in June 2015, with my Bachelor of Arts as well as a Bachelor of Education! How did that happen?! Well, my story in choosing my major is sort of funny.
I went through high school intending to study science and law, basically forensic science, and I took all the prerequisites for it. I even went to summer school to complete a biology class that wouldn't fit in my schedule during the year! I worked my butt off in grade eleven to prepare. But then, that same year, I auditioned for the school musical, Bye Bye Birdie, and landed the lead role. The show took over my life while I was also in my drama class and science classes, and I realized that I wanted to pursue acting. (Later I discovered I loved directing as well.) Then in grade twelve, I got to know my teachers pretty well — I was a keener! — and I wanted to inspire others like they do. So I looked for Education programs for drama, and discovered that there was a combined degree program at the U of A and at Queens University in Ontario. (I'm Canadian, and decided to stay in my home country.)
Now, I'm a part-time teacher at a school in Edmonton. I also work as a substitute teacher, and I've started my own business where I write about what I love and I help others do the same. Teaching isn't just for people who want to be classroom teachers: I've learned skills that can be applied in almost any situation! I really never thought entrepreneurship would be for me, but my degrees actually prepared me well by developing my creativity, writing and leadership skills."
Samantha of As Life Grows
Major: Biology (major) and Psychology (minor)
College: Williams Baptist College
"Hello lovely! I'm Samantha, the creator of AsLifeGrows.com I am a senior at Williams Baptist College and will be graduating with a biology major and psychology minor in May 2017. I chose to be a biology major because I knew that I wanted to be a physical therapist. I also knew that getting into physical therapy graduate school was really hard, so I wanted to have the most competitive major in the field. Since being a biology major is one of the most favorable majors for physical therapy graduate schools, I decided to go for it. I've always enjoyed science courses, so I figured that this would work well for me! Although I knew it would be tough, I also knew that it was what I had to do in order to reach my career goals.
At first, I was only a biology major. Then, as I started taking classes, I decided to become a psychology minor as well. I did this because I thought that having a major and a minor would look great on my graduate school applications. I also needed to fill some of my upper-level electives and found that psychology was really interesting to me. Plus, by the time I chose to become a psychology minor, I really only had to add in one or two extra courses into my degree plan. So this really worked out well for me! Now, I've already been accepted into my top physical therapy graduate program, and I am looking forward to starting physical therapy school in August then graduating with a Doctorate in Physical Therapy in three years!"
Jenn of Crescent Moon and Stars
Major: Hospitality and Tourism
College: Trident Technical College
"I’m about to turn 29 next month, but I waited to go to college in 2012 (I was 23/24) as I didn’t want to play the Major Roulette game and I was still trying to figure out who I was post-HS. I went to a Magnet school and therefore was in all Honors/AP courses, Senior thesis to create and defend, and 90 required community hours - but I ended up doing 120 - and trying to hold down clubs and a PT job. I was SOOO burnt out from it that I (and others) remarked that I probably needed a break for awhile.
[So, I] did the "I’m gonna work full time" [thing] and it was going great until the recession of 2008 and working at a Books-A-Million. At the time, people’s extra spending money went to other things, among the digital age of e-books starting up, too. [I] realized that I didn’t want to be in retail for the rest of my life, [so] I ventured into a prominent technical college here in Charleston, SC. Johnson & Wales had closed fairly recently, so the Culinary Institute of Charleston as Trident Tech was pretty much the only program around besides a 4-year downtown college (College of Charleston).
So, I went to the school I had told others that I would not go to back in HS and THOROUGHLY enjoyed my 2 years there! I had some of the best professors, fantastic courses that have helped me get to where I am now (working in my field at a hotel) and learned industry knowledge and knowledge about myself in the process. I was on the Dean’s List 5 semesters in a row, graduated Magna Cum Laude as well as pretty much the 1st in the family to finish college and walk the stage. [Plus, I] only had a $2000 student loan debt when all said and done (everything else was lottery assistance, scholarships or hard earned). I also worked PT (about 20-30 hours/week) at the brand-new Cracker Barrel as a hostess to supplement things while I was still living at home (my parents said as long as I worked and schooled, I was ok to be there rent-free as I was working on bettering myself and since I was the only child, there weren’t too many extra expenses on the house budget)."
Marissa of Welcome to Mommyhood
Major: History
College: Washburn University
"I am a history major, and [I] am darn proud of it. Some people wonder what a liberal arts degree has to offer career-wise. I believe that a liberal arts education, at least in my experience, has developed certain skills. My critical thinking and information literacy have certainly improved, two skills that I believe are essential in this era of instant information. When we have instantaneous media, it is vital that we know how to evaluate information. History in particular helps us realize where we, as humanity and as members of various groups, came from, and how much farther we have to go. I have always been fascinated by history, from my first exposure to historical fiction media. Perhaps my favorite Christmas gift has been an illustrated world history book that my parents gave me in elementary school. As I entered high-school, my mother (who had studied political science and history in college) and I would discuss current and past events. In college, I have learned, thanks to my major, that every part of life is connected, giving me a deepened appreciation for life and the plethora of cultures that surround us. I would rather study something that I love than invest in a profitable yet passionless degree!
My journey as a history major has been both a constant and fluctuating. I started out my freshman year wanting to be a high-school history teacher. I shortly realized that although I really love children, I do not have the patience to teach with a full classroom. I have entertained multiple career paths including public service, librarianship, pastor, social worker, museum work, and social media manager. Before I became pregnant, I had planned on attending seminary. I have decided to take some time off of school after my son is born so I can save money for grad school. In the mean time, I will be blogging and (hopefully) working full time. I don't know where I will be employed seven months from now. What I do know is that wherever I go, I will utilize the skills that I have learned [as a history major]!"
"I’ve known I
wanted to be a journalist since I was five years old. I loved the feel of newspapers, the orderly
words marching across the pages, and even at that young age, I read sections
other than the comics (or ‘funnies,’ as they used to be called!). There’s never really been a ‘plan B’ for me –
I’ve always been so passionate about journalism and, particularly, the news
industry.
When I arrived
at Temple University, I was immediately involved in the school’s paper, which
only affirmed me in my choice of major.
I could live in the newsroom, to be honest, and sometimes working on the
paper is more important to me than homework (shh). I’ve never looked back or looked away from my
decision to major in journalism and I can’t wait to graduate and enter my field!"
Meg of Maeghon Rhoads
Major: Communications Studies
College: Grove City College
"I had a lot of interests coming out of high school, so
choosing my major wasn’t easy. I wanted to do writing, theater, and music,
which doesn’t really fall into one major by itself. At first, I was going to
settle for English, but that changed when I went looking on one of my
prospective colleges’ course catalogs. They had a major listed called
Communications, with several concentrations in things like Visual
Communication, Writing, Communication Studies, and Media. It basically covered
a ton of things I enjoyed, and with that I decided on Communications as my
official major. I ended up applying to a different school, but their
Communication Studies major covered a lot of what the other one did. What
wasn’t covered, I was able to learn through electives, my English literary
minor, and a Professional Writing concentration.
Because of that, I
would definitely advise looking up what the major requirements at the colleges/universities
you’re looking at. Some majors’ requirements vary between schools. But I
wouldn’t let major requirements deter you from pursuing something you love. If
your major doesn’t include everything you want, you can usually take a few
electives in classes you like. I’ve taken English writing courses, business and
marketing classes, art classes, and even dance and music lessons. Remember, if
you have enough elective hours to take classes outside of your major, go for
it! Get a minor, try for a concentration, maybe even double major if you want
to. Don’t let your major’s requirements limit you in what you learn at school.
There’s a whole world out there to explore, and the learning never ends."
Marie of Girl Knows Tech
Major: Software Engineering
College: Ecole de Technologie supérieure
I don't know what I want to specialize in when I'll graduate in 2019, so I'm using my internships right now to explore the possibilities. My first one was in mobile apps, and my second one this summer will be more in web development. Software is such a big field - it's difficult to choose something! I want to do everything!"
And, last but not least...
Haley of Haley Marie Blog
Major: Journalism and Political Science (double-major)
College: Boston University
Okay, beautifuls - here's the moment you've all been waiting for! I'm so excited to finally tell the story of how I chose my double-majors.
When I was in high school, I loved my English and history classes. Intense political debates interwoven with rhetorical analysis was basically my idea of the perfect schedule. It also helped that I had a number of amazing humanities teachers in high school who helped guide the way for me as I was choosing my path toward communications!
Applying to BU's College of Communication (and eventually getting accepted and committing to go there) was an easy choice; deciding what to specialize in within that school was not. Ultimately, I wound up torn between PR and Journalism, so I decided to join two student organizations on campus to help me make my decision. I became a writer for the Daily Free Press, BU's primary student newspaper, as well as a member of Unleashed PR, the pro bono student-run PR firm at my school.
Needless to say, the energy of the newsroom, the rush of writing a story and the open-armed community at the FreeP helped me decide on Journalism. After my first poli sci class at BU (which was taught by an amazing professor and helped me work through the emotional turmoil of the 2016 presidential election), adding the second major felt second nature to me. Now, I'm looking at a path toward Georgetown Law School (cross your fingers for me!), so I can study to become a legislative aide in Congress. So, keep your eye out in 2020 - I'll be looking for a job just in time for the next presidential election!
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