<p>Throughout your high school years you heard, "So what colleges are you looking at?" and "What do you plan to major in?" Perhaps you thought the questions would end once everyone knew where you were going, but they didn't. As a rising college freshman, here are the questions I'm getting sick of...feel free to post yours, whether you're in high school, college, or not in school at all (in that case, you probably have to deal with ten times as many questions as I do, if you don't have a job yet!).</p>
<p>"When are you leaving?"
"Where is Amherst again?"
"Aren't you going to miss your family?"
"Why did you pick that school?"
"What do you plan to do after you graduate from college?" (HelLO, aren't we getting a little ahead of ourselves??)
"How are you getting there?"
"Have you finished packing for college?" (Yeah, RIGHT!)</p>
<p>"oh... anthropology... that's nice. what exactly is that again?"
"oh okay, so... what do you want to do with that?"
"are you and Lera (my cousin) getting along well in your apartment?"
"why aren't you doing that other major anymore? the fashion one?"
"met any nice boys lately?"</p>
<p>Just the one: "What are you planning to study?"</p>
<p>(I usually say, "We don't have to declare a major until sophomore year, and I plan to take full advantage of that fact," to which my Swedish relatives say "...oh, that's nice," and then go off to call me spoiled and irresponsible in private.)</p>
<p>"Simmons, what is that?"
"What?! Why would you go to a women's college?! I didn't know you were a lesbian!" (I'm not, not that it should matter)
"Why don't you go to a real (i.e. coed) university/I didn't know they had those anymore?"
"Oh, do you go there because it's near your boyfriend?" (no)
"What are you majoring in?" (Poli Sci & History)
"What are you going to do with that?"
"Do you want to be a lawyer?"
"It takes HOW long to get a PhD?"</p>
<ol>
<li>Why did you change majors?</li>
<li>Oh...so what are you going to do with that?</li>
<li>Where do you want to live after college? What? You don't want to live in this town where EVERYONE comes back to live after college? Why do you want to live in the mountains? Isn't it...uh...cold?</li>
<li>You really think you'll get to work for a college or pro team with that degree? (usually followed by rolling the eyes)</li>
<li>Why don't you just work for a small marketing firm here in the area?</li>
<li>Do you like your campus job? But isn't it just a job to get by, why not do something you can use later in life?</li>
<li>Oh, you have an internship. What do you do? You mean you get to meet all the athletes and party and hang out? Can I meet them?</li>
<li>You want to go where for grad school? Doesn't it rain alot there? </li>
</ol>
<p>To which I usually answer...
1. I lost interest in my first major, didn't want to suffer through four years of something I knew I didn't want to pursue. Picked up a major in Marketing, minor in general business accounting and management.
2. Umm...work in the marketing dept for a sports team, organization, or company like Nike or Adidas
3. Somewhere out West or in the Northeast, somewhere with plenty of mountains and ski resorts. Yeah, it's cold....that's what snowboarding is for.
4. Umm...yeah, I plan to work for a university or pro team and if that doesn't pan out then for a sports organization or company (see #2). If you knew half the things this degree could do for someone you'd be amazed.
5. See #2 and #3. I have no interest in working for a marketing firm.
6. I love my campus job at the Rec. Yeah...it's just a campus job, but my boss did the internship I'm doing, and working around athletics is much more productive and leading into a future field than serving food in the dining center (no offense to any of you Dining workers out there).
7. We plan all the promotions for the athletic teams, work with photoshop, outside organizations, gameday planning, plan events for the little kids fan club, design the posters that you plaster on your wall year after year, things like that. We see players occasionally if we want to do some trivia about them or auction off an autograph helmet. No, you can't meet them unless you bump into them or harass them, and then maybe you'll meet them in court ;)
8. Umm...best. sports. marketing. in the country. That's why I want to go to Oregon. Not to mention that my roommate is from Oregon and I love her to death and she's going to OSU for grad school :) hopefully she'll be at OSU and I'll be at UO. </p>
<ul>
<li>Whats ESF?</li>
<li>Wheres ESF?</li>
<li>What does it stand for it again?</li>
<li>Wait, can you say it one more time?</li>
<li>You want to be a lumberjack?</li>
<li>You're going to work in forests?</li>
<li>Aren't you going to hate the snow?</li>
<li>What can you actually do with your degree?</li>
<li>So you want to be a park ranger?</li>
</ul>
<p>-Oklahoma...where's that?
-Aren't they still having problems with Indians? (yep, a couple of kids get scalped each year)
-Are you going to see tornadoes? (Yeah, they try to schedule them on the weekends so everyone can watch them)
-What is Animal Science?
-Are you going to stick your arm up a cow's butt? (Of course, that IS why I majored in that)
-Are you going to be a farmer? (I can usually excuse that one, large animal vet and farmers share some job responsibilities)</p>
<p>-Oh medical school...you must be really, really smart. If I was that smart, I'd have done something else
-So what are you going to be when you're done? A pharmacist? A doctor? A nurse? uhh, hello, a nurse goes to nursing school, a pharmacist to pharmacy school. Doctors go to medical school
-What type of doctor are you going to be? it changes daily
-It must be really gross to be doctor. yeah pretty much
-So have you ever thought about being a gynecologist? You'd get to look at vaginas all day! like that's some kind of treat for a guy
-Have any doctors in the family? Every physician ALWAYS asks this...I'm not sure why</p>
<p>I must have been asked what my major was/what I wanted to do with it/other generic college questions about a million times, and I was never once even slightly annoyed with any of them. <em>shrug</em></p>
<p>So, I guess if I don't know what some of my friends are majoring in by now, I shouldn't ask them, because they'll want to hurt me. Lol.</p>
<p>What are you majoring in? (athletic training; maybe education or pre-physical therapy)
So you're gonna be a PE teacher? (no, a certified athletic training, ATC... I'd work hand-in-hand with physical therapists and coaches to prevent and treat athletic injuries)
Where you going? (Southeast Missouri State University in Cape Girardeau)
Are you going to play sports?(no)Why not? (Well, because DI athletics are EXTREMELY harder than high school sports. Football-I'd be the smallest guy on the field once again and I don't think they'd let me play the line still. Basketball- Yeah, I only had 6 points in my varsity career spanning two years! Baseball- I wasn't an everyday starter here!)
When do you leave? (August 16) Are you excited? (Definitely, I'm really excited to start class. I can't wait to get into the athletic training stuff. I can't wait to learn stuff that I'm INTERESTED in for once!)</p>
<p>And probably the most annoying one and it came from a lot of kids at school who had probably not even heard of the United States Military Academy at West Point until this year..</p>
<p>What happened to West Point? (West Point is one of the hardest schools in the country to get into and to graduate from! Also, I decided that's not what I wanted afterall)</p>
<p>Mine:
Where do you go again...Why are earth did you want to go there? (I like the academic pace and financial reasons)
Wht do you plan to do with an English major, will you teach like your mom? (I haven't started telling people that I'm going into International Health because it's hard making people understand that your undergrad major doesn't have to have a direct link to your prospective grad school program and career field-although my minor is poli sci-so I usually say I'm still figuring it out. And hell no I don't want to teach!)</p>
<p>"What's an ordinary differential equation?"
"Why didn't you go to Cal?"
(tech babble)"What's the Standard Model?"
(more tech babble) blank stare...</p>
<p>"What's your major?"
(English)
"You like reading?"
(Yes)
"Wait....so you actually like reading?"
(Yes)
"So you're gonna write books when you grow up?"
(I don't know what I want to do with it)
"Well if you don't have a plan then you should be a business major. That's a REAL major."</p>
<p>"Why did you transfer from VT to UVA?"
-well, because I needed an academic change
"Are you still doing engineering?"
-yes, EE
"But why would you leave VT for UVA's engineering? Isn't VT's better?"
-they're both very good programs, just different
"Do you not want to have an engineering job?"
-no, not necessarily, I just want options post-grad
"Grad school?"
-maybe
"Stanford?"
-we'll see
"I guess you experienced 4/16?"
-no, I lived under a rock during then....yes, I did
"Is that why you transferred?"
-no, I applied in March
"So, do you like UVA?"
-no, I just picked it out of a hat to transfer to...yes, I love UVA</p>
<p>and, my favorite:
"Is engineering hard?"
-no, I pull all-nighters, have a sometimes lacking social life, and get 60s on tests (yet still get a B!), and spend countless hours pouring over physics and circuits books because engineering's easy...yes, it nearly kills me sometimes it's so much hard work</p>
<p>umcp11, it's not necessarily that the questions in and of themselves are annoying, and it's not as bad when it's actually your FRIENDS asking. But when it's endless relatives/friends of the family or you just hear the same questions constantly, it gets ANNOYING. It's like you have this fixed part in a conversation and you just can't escape from it. It's maddening!</p>
<p>Haha, this is a great list...it made me laugh :) I still think "What are you going to do with that?" is such a funny question. My sister likes to say "Make babies!"</p>