<p>Chemical engineering.</p>
<p>I chose this because I want to major in a quantitative discipline, and because I like chemistry (only to find out that ChE has little to do with chemistry). It also comes with a nice starting salary for graduates. Finally, I think it is the most versatile major there is.</p>
<p>Used to be nursing... Orginally wanted it b/c I wanted to help people and I found the processes of mind and body fascinating... (Honestly, too, I wanted the money to help out my family.) But after working as a nursing assistant, I found out I didn't want a "good day at work" to be defined as one that didn't include being punched, kicked, scratched, thrown hot coffee at, etc. or having someone die. Also, the hours that nurses usually work would either burn me out or wouldn't let me pursue my other interests in life. I really admire the people who do make it a career though!!!</p>
<p>Now I'm trying to change it into finance and Russian. Perhaps I'm greedy, but I love toying with numbers, trying to figure out the best investments, etc. My background in health care and seeing how different facilities use their resources has also made me interested health care spending decisions/budgeting. I think healthcare budgeting decisions will be under more scrutiny as our nation's spending continues to skyrocket.... There are also some ethical considerations... It's just interesting... </p>
<p>However, my first love is Russian. If I am offered a finance job that also gives me the opportunity to use the language, I don't care if I have a dream house, a serious boyfriend, or whatever and job's 2k miles away... Give me five minutes to pack. I'm soo there.</p>
<p>Film Studies (unless I fail the second intro class), with a possible double major in English. I actually want to work in television (hopefully writing), but the film major at Wes is apparently really good at preparing people to work in the TV industry as well as the film industry, since it's all about understanding genre and how the visual and the narrative interact (and given the number of really successful graduates we have in both industries, apparently Wes is really good at this stuff!). Plus, who doesn't want to major in movies ;) (Though no, at Wes, Film Studies is anything but a soft major). </p>
<p>Anyway, why Television writing? I've always wanted to do something creative. At first I though I wanted to be a writer (of novels/short stories), and then a photographer, but really, I can't stand that much solitary work. Television and film, but especially television is a more collaborative process, which I find really exciting and well suited to me. Plus, ever since I started watching HBO shows I've really come to appreciate the potential television has as a story telling medium. It can be really brilliant, and I want to help create that.</p>
<p>I wanted to become a professional graphic novel artist since I was in 7th grade or so (basically something like korean manhwa or japanese manga.. I'm asian btw) but I'm swaying now after seeing all my friends go after much more 'realistic' majors (biology, pre-med, pre-law something like that) so as much as I like drawing I might possibily change majors. (maybe into animation or something completely unrelated) I don't thinK i can do anything else though, that's the problem (or get really low GPA) Anyways the only reason I became an art major is because I wanted to become a graphic novel artist (or an animator,character designer, illustrator something of the sort). I'm trying to minor in 2D game design too but ^^;; yeah I really don't know. I like these kinda fields but I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be dirt poor. Well long as I'm not starving I rather do something I like.</p>
<p>Fashion Merchandising, because at my school the major is incredibly interdisciplinary and allows you a very wide array of topics to study - historical fashion, sociological perspectives of fashion, the business and economics of the industry, design and styling. I spend a ridiculous amount of time reading fashion magazines and following the industry that it's a pretty natural fit.</p>
<p>uyulove, graphic design work isn't a bad career choice at all if you play it wisely! There is plenty of job opportunities out there - I do webdesign and illustrations as a way to fill out my budget on the side. There would be no harm done to keep it as a minor while getting a solid liberal arts education, or simply go for it and get a thorough education in the field (getting in touch with the industry early on, doing hands-on work and making connections is the key thing to look for in a school, though).</p>
<p>It's frowned upon mostly because a lot of people that enjoy artistic work aren't necessarily as good at it as they'd like to think themselves to be. However, I know many of my friends that also went to specialized art high school - and this mostly to flee from math requirements in other programs - have had no problems landing jobs at small, local business despite lackluster talent. If you're aiming for something bigger than designing fliers, yes, competition will be stiff; but you shouldn't let that discourage you from looking into a perfectly sensible field of work. Graphic design (industry design even moreso) is only getting MORE sought after, not less. Talk to your councelor about it!</p>
<p>I'll be majoring in math. No essays. No labs. No memorization. NO CALCULATORS :D !!!</p>
<p>I just love math and I don't see a reason not to major in it, except for that strange look that everyone gives me when I tell them what I want to major in.</p>
<p>
[quote]
With regard to economics and Poli Sci, I think it really depends on what area of Political Science the person is taking. At my University, you can major in Political Science by itself, or you can specialize in Pre-law (like me), International Affairs, or Public Service. Obviously the latter two should experience some economics, but for Poli Sci/Pre-law people like me, it's a little different. I hope to go into family law, so I'm planning on minoring in sociology or psychology which pertains more to my future plans.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I hope you know what you're getting into and I have a lot of respect for you if you do. I have two family members who used to practice family law but are now in slightly different areas, and it's a lot of mentally draining work. </p>
<p>That being said, I still think that some pre-law majors might want to take econ, especially if they were to go into corporate law. Besides, everyone in law school, regardless of their intended career path, is required to take basic courses in debtor/creditor and tax law (well, they are in Canada anyways). Like you said though, there are a lot of different people in each major, all taking it for different reasons. That's why this thread is interesting... :)</p>
<p>Edit: Haha, I specifically signed up for a course next year on IR Theory. It's one of my favorite subjects (and to be fair, the course is with my favorite prof from last year). I do know a lot of Poli majors who dislike theory courses though. We have three Poli streams - Comparative, Political Theory, and IR. You can major in Poli, or you can major in IR (which has it's own department), which means taking Poli Sci, History, Econ, and Language courses, as well as the option of Geography, Anthro, Sociology, African/Latin American/Asian/European Studies, etc).</p>
<p>I came in thinking I would study a sub-category or specializing of biology. I took some introduction classes, looked at research literature, and found that overall, I wasn't passionate about the subject. Sure, I still have some interest in it and I find some things interesting to read about or learn. I don't have enough of it though to pursue beyond undergraduate years to graduate/professional school. </p>
<p>The last 2 quarters, I've shopped around a bit and found that I like history. I hated AP History classes in high school and now the experience is completely different. I'm thinking of double-majoring with Art History or Classics (or maybe Latin) and taking up a minor in Music History (Yay I only need about 5 more classes for the minor!) I became interested in Classics/Latin... since about Spring Quarter and I'm enjoying learning about the Romans right now. I also have to take a full year of language at my school and I'm going to start Latin in the fall. </p>
<p>Money and a comfortable lifestyle are important to me to a certain extent. I don't want to live paycheck to paycheck or something in a crappy apartment. I do, however, want to pursue any passions I've developed in academia and see where that takes me... poor PhD student or not... I do not know if I want to have a family in the future (harharhar at age 19?!). I do know that I want to keep learning and pursue advanced degrees. Is this marketable? IDK... Most important thing to me right now is education, academics, and learning. :)</p>
<p>Engineering - I enjoy pounding my head against a wall and having no time whatsoever. No, really, I like math and the sciences, as well as problem solving and working with "real" things instead of theory. The pay and jobs are there too. Materials Science because I get instate tuition. :)</p>
<p>I'm majoring in money and greed, er, i mean math and econ. I've been miserable most of my life and I think that making lots of money will quell my existential angst</p>
<p>
[quote]
t's frowned upon mostly because a lot of people that enjoy artistic work aren't necessarily as good at it as they'd like to think themselves to be.
[/quote]
Amen. I truly agree with this. I believe my high school AP studio art students were actually alot better than alot of people in my college majoring it.</p>
<p>I've done some website design but only for my personal sites.. I don't know about graphic design because I don't think I could do it very well. I suck at designing in general you see (although I'm an art major... huh...) or I don't enjoy designing much except clothes sometimes. I probably should take a class in it though, thank you very much for the advice! I'm in california so hopefully something will work out.. =3=</p>
<p>I'll be majoring in mechanical engineering but I'm going into aerospace engineering. Money is a big deal to me because I come from a poor family and financial security is something that I value highly; the fact that my dream job and financial security go hand-in-hand is a bonus (I didn't choose engineering because of the good pay). I love everything relevant to aviation and I love to build/design things so engineering seems perfect for me.</p>
<p>I'm also thinking about minoring in either sociology or international relations. I love sociology because the little things that make society tick are fascinating to me. If this were the path I'd take, I'd also spend a semester abroad in the Netherlands because the disconnect between acceptance and tolerance there has always been an interest to me. As for international relations, foreign policy has always been an interest of mine so this one's a given. :)</p>
<p>Math Education</p>
<p>I love math
I love helping others
I love grading papers
I love tutoring and mentoring
I love the fact that this is the one aspect in my life that my parents really have no control over, and no mom I won't come out of college scraping for food on the concrete! Teachers aren't THAT poor, or maybe they are... whatever.</p>
<p>^to the whole web design discussion
There's a lot of money in user interface design. If you have a art/design backround, and get a masters in industrial psych, you're very employable, probably more so than most majors. It's all about scarcity...</p>
<p>Funny thing is, most people won't do anything related to their major in the end. I'll probably open a strip club or something.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Funny thing is, most people won't do anything related to their major in the end.
[/quote]
Let's rephrase that: most people with a liberal arts education won't end up with a job related to their major. But tell that to someone studying business, engineering, nursing or anything vocational (especially at a community college) and they will kick your ***.</p>
<p>A lot of people in engineering don't become engineers. You should check out the heavy discussion on ibanking. </p>
<p>Nursing and other trades are specific training for specific careers. I'm sure anybody with half a brain could figure out that wutangfinancial isn't including those.</p>
<p>English. I wasn't sure going in, but after looking over classes and solidifying the fact that literature is what I love, it made sense to declare. I still don't know what I'll end up doing, though I'm interested in both academia and the publishing industry. I love my major because it lends itself to so many different careers (far more than one would think), and is very flexible. </p>
<p>I am considering picking up a second major, but not entirely sure. I am interested in Classics, History and Philosophy, not to mention Film and Theater (so basically it is quite up in the air...). I'm minoring in Italian because I took a course on a whim and loved it, plus I'd like to study abroad.</p>
<p>I'm a doing a major in political science with a minor in secondary education. At first it was just poli sci. I grew to love politics during high school and felt like it was something that I understood and liked and could excel in. However, any jobs in the political arena are insanely cutthroat. It's a big game of who you know. I'm competitive, but not to the point where I'm willing to become a liar, cheater, or anything else. That's why I decided upon Secondary Education. I feel like if I can spread my love for Politics to younger generations, then I'm really giving back (I want to be a HS Gov't Teacher). And in the back of my mind, I always wanted to be a teacher anyway. Besides, they always need teachers and I can pretty much live where ever I want. Plus, the amazing schedule, since they get so many days off and they make decent money.</p>