Everyone who goes to AU knows that the majority of students here are SIS and SOC majors. What SIS and SOC majors sometimes forget though is that there are other majors offered here, and there’s a lot of them. Although the science department is smaller at AU than at other schools, it still exists and we have a lot of really bright students studying majors that range from Physics to Audiotechnology- in fact we have the best Audiotech program in the nation but most people don’t know that. As a Biology and Computer Science major, I hear tons of different reactions when I tell people my majors. And a lot of people here at AU are surprised by science majors actually going here, but we did choose AU for our own reasons and we’ve heard all the reactions to our major. Here are just a few of the things that we’re sick of hearing at every mention of our major.
1. Why do you go here? / Why’d you choose AU?
This is the first thing we all hear at our first freshman parties when introducing ourselves or when our hallmates ask what our majors are. And yes, AU might be a liberal arts focused school, but we also do have a wide range of science bachelors and masters degrees. SIS and Com majors may be the majority, but there are still a good number of us in all of the science fields here at AU.
2. Wow, you’re one of the few.
Thanks, but I’m not. We may not have huge lecture halls filled with hundreds of people, but there are a good number of us in each major. And the reason most of us chose AU was so that we would have smaller science classes and have a more personalized education.
3. You must be so smart!
Obviously. No, but realistically it’s a little annoying when people say this. You have your niche and we have ours. I can’t write a great essay to save my life but I can procrastinate a lab report and still get an A.
4. Can you help me with my math homework?
I’ve actually had someone offer to pay me to do their math homework. Those SOC majors hate their Finite Mathematics course saying that math has never been their thing, but do you really think we have the time to do your easy, google-able homework when we have actual work to do? And not all of us like math either.
5. So do you want to be a doctor or something?
Most people don’t realize the wide array of opportunities there are for AU students with science degrees. We have a lot of really great pre-med majors here (one of which I used to be) but there are a lot more opportunities. We have alumni in lots of different places in the science field, some doing research, some studying medicine, and some working at big companies like Google.
6. I didn’t even know we have that here!
AU offers a BS in more than 15 different science majors and quite a few masters programs science fields. Just because you haven’t heard of it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist.
7. Wow. Good for you.
The most condescending of all. Yeah, it’s usually driven by people being confused or impressed that we would take on science instead of a liberal arts major here, but it makes us uncomfortable. How do you even want me to reply to that? “Thanks?”