Italian... Where Can I Go With It?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>I'm a junior who loves Italian, both the language and the culture. I'm also interested in European and World history. Therefore, I'm thinking about "double majoring" in Italian Studies and History in college, but what career(s) will these two majors lead me to? Could I possibly take Italian/History and go to graduate school and study law? I heard that if someone majors in something like Italian, he or she can become a lawyer. What other jobs can I take with these concentrations? Any suggestions?</p>

<p>Also, I would like to know if there are any universities out there with good Italian programs (History, too, if possible). For example, is St John's University a good private university for those who are interested in Romantic languages? Any more likely candidates out there? </p>

<p>Here are my stats, so far, if you need them to determine which ones are in my league:</p>

<p>Old SAT: V-630
M-650
(I'm taking the New SATs by the way in March)
SAT II: Math IC - 740
Writing - 710
Chemistry - 700</p>

<p>PSAT: M-70
CR - 63
W - 65</p>

<p>11th grade courses:
AP Chemistry
AP Macroeconomics/AP US Government and Politics (it's one class, can you believe it?)
English 3 Honors
Italian 2
Pre-calculus
Computer Programming
Italian 3</p>

<p>10th grade:
English 2 Honors
Peer Counseling
Italian I
Beginning Weight Training
Chemistry I Honors
SAT Prep. (worth Honors credit)
Algebra II
American History Honors</p>

<p>(I don't think it's necessary to say what were my 9th grade courses)</p>

<p>Extracurricular activities:
-10th - present: volunteering at my local library
-summer before 10th to beginning of 10th grade: volunteered at a hospital in Miami
-10th - present: member of a leadership program called the Teen Advisory Board held at my local library where we organize activities for teens
-10th - present: memeber of Mu Alpha Theta, a math team where we tutor and enter competitions
-11th - Treasurer of SADD
-11th - member of NHS (where I tutor even more)</p>

<p>I have 415 recorded volunteer hours</p>

<p>I really don't have strict preferences when it comes to universities: I can adjust to any surroundings and learn in any environment, even when I'm in a classroom with 1,000 students, I can still feel comfortable.... I don't care where I learn, I just want it out of FLorida if possible, maybe out of the country! SO please, offer me some suggestions of fantastic schools that offer Italian (and history) as a major and if you can, find one that matches my personality and intelligience. Thank you!</p>

2

<p>Oh, and I forgot: I rank in the top one percent of my class (8 out of sevenhundred something)</p>

3

<p>I think that I remember reading on a different thread that Smith, Scripps, and Wesleyan have good Italian programs. Middlebury is known for being strong in languages.</p>

4

<p><a href="http://frit.lss.wisc.edu/frit/index.html%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://frit.lss.wisc.edu/frit/index.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p>

<p>Also top 10 in history</p>

5

<p>You might seek an academic career in Italian language, literature or history--some combination of these. A combination with Art History would suit museum work very well. Look for colleges that advertise exchange programs with Italy for Junior Year.</p>

6

<p>There are 2 types of college education and since both are offered at colleges (indeed usually at the same university) it can blur the distinction. The first is the vocational-type degree (engineering, accounting, nursing, etc). The other type falls under the umbrella of the liberal arts.</p>

<p>The reason the distinction is worth keeping in mind is that without it we can in effect mix metaphors. The OP asks what careers History and Italian lead to, but this question does not really apply to a liberal-arts degree (or for two of them).</p>

<p>None of the liberal-arts majors lead directly to a career path, nor are they intended to. The reason to pick a liberal-arts major or minor is because of a strong interest in the subject. It may also be applicable to some career fields, but that is not the main goal. If you want a degree that prepares you for a job, pick a vocational major.</p>

<p>Jobs are always a concern for liberal-arts majors, but the way to look at this is that preparing for a career is something that is done in addition to the major rather than being the result of the major. There are plenty of things to do in college to prepare for a career. Learning about careers by talking to alums and thru the career center resources is a first step. The most important thing are internships so that you get actual exposure to the job and can explain to potential employers why you would be a good fit in the career rather than just hoping its right for you. </p>

<p>In picking a career area its wise to look at what you enjoy. If you like Italian it might suggest a job that involves international business, but "business" is such a huge area that you could do anything from sales to marketing to accounting and still be working in "international" business. My advice is to use internships and discussions with alums to find areas in the working world that you would enjoy. Since you mentioned law, I have to warn you about that. There are, of course, many satisfied lawyers, but it is also a career area filled with unhappy people; many of these picked law with no real idea of what lawyers do or if they would like it. Again, the advice above applies -- if you are thinking about law, get a part-time job or intern position and a law firm and find out if its right for you before you go too far.</p>

<p>Lastly, I would suggest you reconsider your declaration "I really don't have strict preferences when it comes to universities". Maybe you really are as adaptable as you suggest, but most people do have a preference for large vs small, urban vs rural, a small class where the prof knows you vs an anonymous lecture. Since you're only a junior you have time to visit examples of each type of college.</p>

7

<p>You should definitely major in something that you like- and do well in.</p>

<p>One of my friends majored in Italian at Johns Hopkins and got accepted to many great law schools including Georgetown, Duke, Michigan & Penn.</p>

8

<p>My uncle graduated from Syracuse - Italian and History - and retired comfortably from a long career as an atache' (US government foreign service agent) in Italy. He loved Italy.</p>