Monday, February 20, 2012

How I Picked My Major


          How can you be sure that you’ve picked the right major?  It’s hard to know what you should study when you’re not quite sure what you want to do with your life after college just yet.  If you’re in the right major, you’ll definitely figure it out within the first two semesters.  

          Here are a few clues:
1.       You will think that most of the material you’re learning in your classes is really interesting.
2.       You will probably have a lot of common interests with other students in your major.
3.        As you find out all of the different career paths that your major could lead to, you should be able to picture yourself doing some of them, and enjoying it.

When I first transferred to UK, I had three different majors I was looking into, and I thought they all looked really interesting.  But I’ve never had to worry about whether I made the right choice- I know that I did.  It’s really simple; I’ve made a lot of friends, my professors have been really inspiring, I’ve liked the majority of my classes, and I’ve learned a lot. 

As a Natural Resources & Environmental Science major, I’ve gotten to take a lot of really awesome field trips and explore areas of Fayette County and Kentucky that I might never have experienced.  Since being outside is one of the criteria I have for my future career, I know this is the major for me because my classes take me there.  I’ve been to Mammoth Cave National Park, Robinson Forest, Griffith Woods, the Cincinnati Zoo, McConnell Springs, Tom Dorman State Nature Preserve, the Arboretum, and so many more.  Plus, I’ve done all kinds of awesome experiments and projects through my classes and labs.  Just Monday I got to dissect a pigeon for my Ornithology class.

Although my major isn’t for everyone, I know that everyone should be just as excited about their major as I am about mine.  The most important thing is that you’re picking a career field where you will be challenged, but also one that you will be passionate about. 

  

Sandy is a senior at the University of Kentucky, majoring in Natural Resources & Environmental Sciences.  She is from Guston, Kentucky in Meade County.  She is involved with the COA Agriculture Ambassadors, undergraduate research, and post graduation, she is considering graduate school. She and her husband now live in Lexington. 

4 comments:

  1. Sandy is right! I knew that I wanted to study sustainable agriculture as soon as I took my first class in the major. We are very fortunate to have professors that bring out our passion and put it to work. Sandy's passion is inspiring and I am sure she will continue to succeed in the area of natural resource conservation!

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  2. Very good tips, Sandy! Enjoying your major makes college more beneficial, interesting, and fun. I'm know you'll do big things in your natural resources career!

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  3. This is great Sandy! I am always telling students that they should be excited about their classes. I love picking out my classes each semester. I look forward to seeing what kinds of classes are offered that will allow me to experience new ideas.

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  4. Choosing what your major is can be a very big part in deciding what you want to do with your future career goals. Something I love being able to use at the University of Kentucky is the degree planner support Apex which helps me see what courses I need to take to stay on tract with my major but also see what other majors have similar classes if I want to consider adding a minor or possibly double majoring. It helps make registering for classes a breeze and can be really helpful in planning your academic future.

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