I came into college knowing that I wanted to major in English and be on the pre-medicine track. The awesome thing about a liberal arts college is that you are able to major in anything—you just have to fit the pre-medicine courses into your schedule. In high school, I had an infatuation with the English language and even wanted to go into journalism after high school graduation. However, now that I’m in college, I found myself fixed with double majoring in English and Mathematics, minoring in Chemistry, and on the pre-medicine track.
My biggest regret starting off with such a heavy academic career is not taking courses outside of my major requirements. As a first semester Junior, I still have not yet taken a course outside of my requirements. And I realize what a mistake this was—I’m currently enrolled in a Sociology of Health and Illness course (since Sociology is now a requirement for the MCAT), and I absolutely enjoy all the riveting, controversial issues discussed in this Sociology course. Now that I am taking this course, I have goals to take a Biomedical Ethics course next semester, which is not part of requirement.
Now that I am a junior, underclassmen are asking me what courses they should take. I highly encourage students to take courses that they are interested in. Not saying that I do not find English and Mathematics courses to be boring—but there are definitely courses that I would have loved to take outside of my requirements.
I initially was going to just minor in Mathematics, however the difference between the Minor and the Major is not too intense. With these requirements, it is very difficult for me to study abroad. The credits that I am able to transfer would not be enough for me to complete my requirements. Therefore, I highly recommend to underclassmen to think ahead of what your plans will be ahead of time, taking into consideration their study abroad program. And not to worry if you are undeclared and have no idea what you want to major in—your professors, more specifically your First Year Seminar advisor, is keen to answer questions about your academic career path. Utilizing your resources and taking courses that you are interested in are the keys to a successful college career.