<p>Whenever people ask me what my major is going to be next year, I tell them International Studies. The standard response to my reply is "How are you going to get a job?" or "What do you plan on doing with that?". I was wondering if these people are right. Is International Studies a useless major? I would like to someday do Peace Corps and possibly work for the State Department or some other random goverment department. Graduate school is certainly not out of the question. I guess I just want to know whether I should be worried or not, or if I should reconsider my plans. Thanks!</p>
<p>Trust me, what you major in in college means little to nothing. These days, you can do very little with a BA, so everyone pretty much has to go on to grad school/med school/dental school/law school/PA school/pharmacy school… You get the idea. I also have a completely “out there” major that very few people know anything about, and whenever someone says to me, “what are you doing with that?” I say “absolutely nothing!” Ha! I really love my major, so who cares? One of the most popular majors at UNC is Biology, and you can hardly do anything with a BA in Biology. I have yet to meet anyone who got a job based on what they majored in in college.</p>
<p>You can do ANYTHING with International Studies, so I wouldn’t worry for a second. I think it does have the rep of being an easy major, but I have no idea if that is true or not. I’ve found that very few things at UNC are easy, lol, so just major in what you want and be happy!</p>
<p>I’m currently double majoring in Political Science and Studio Art at UNC, but I am thinking about switching my second major to International Studies. It’s probably more beneficial to my future because I plan to go to law school or graduate school for international development policy. Anyway – I am kind of in the same boat because I have a hard time explaining what exactly I want to do. You should go to: [UNC</a> Curriculum in International and Area Studies](<a href=“http://www.unc.edu/depts/ints]UNC”>http://www.unc.edu/depts/ints) for more information. Specifically, [UNC</a> Curriculum in International and Area Studies](<a href=“http://www.unc.edu/depts/ints/careers.html]UNC”>http://www.unc.edu/depts/ints/careers.html) for career/internship options. But like ‘jambaby’ said, you can do little with a BA so graduate school should be an option. I wouldn’t worry about the practicality of International Studies though - it’s a popular major and with the right mindset and passion, you can certainly find something right for you.</p>
<p>A wide variety of career opportunties abound for students who graduate with this unique degree. Alumni of the International Studies Program include vice-presidents of major banks; managers in multinational corporations; foreign service officers; civil servants in the Pentagon and United States intelligence agencies; foreign aid administrators; teachers at high schools and colleges; journalists; lawyers; Peace Corps volunteers; and military officers. In addition, graduates of the International Studies Program have been admitted to some of the most prestigious law and graduate schools in the country.</p>