On October 20th, I attended the Majors and Minors Fair in the Connelly Center to learn more about the academic and career opportunities available to college students. This event was organized by Villanova’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, and it represented a wide variety of fields, from economics and neuroscience to music and theater. As a college student, I feel like the options for majors and professional opportunities can be overwhelming, and I’m sure that many others feel the same way. I am a declared business minor, but I am undecided on my major. Through attending this event, I hoped to gain better insight into what majors interested me and the careers paths that I have available to me by choosing those majors.
Each major and minor had its own table. Faculty and current Villanova students were there to answer any and all questions, often with flyers and pamphlets that explained the courses required and the benefits of choosing their field of study. First, I talked to the students and professor at the cognitive and behavioral neuroscience table. Students can earn a B.A. or a B.S. in this field, or they can earn a minor in cognitive science. Neuroscience has always been interesting to me, and the students were very passionate about their decision to major in neuroscience. However, this is a difficult program to join, and students often have to get special admission to major in neuroscience if they do not enter college declared as this major.
After this, I talked to a student at the political science table. I entered college thinking I wanted to be a political science major, but I became increasingly unsure of that as the year progressed. I asked the student at the table questions about the types of classes she takes and the careers that people in that major choose after college. She told me that many political science majors work in government. I knew I did not want to work in government, so I began to think I was right to look for a different major than political science.
Next, I talked to the students at the sociology and criminology table. Both subjects are very interesting to me, and I wanted to learn how these fields were different than psychology, which I am also interested in. The students gave me papers with information on sociology and criminology at Villanova. I learned from the students at the table that sociology looks more at societal patterns while psychology looks at the individual, and that criminology similarly looked at overall criminal patterns. I am more interested in studying the individual, so I then talked to the student and professor at the psychology table.
At Villanova, students can earn a B.A. or a B.S. in psychology, much like the neuroscience program. The student told me about classes she was taking, and she showed me a paper with information on psychology major requirements and electives. The electives, such as The Psychology of Gender and Personality Theory, look very fascinating to me. I left the Majors and Minors Fair feeling confident that I want to pursue a major in psychology. I think that this will complement my business minor, as more and more businesses are looking to psychology to help them learn how to market more effectively and connect with the consumer.
I am very glad that I took advantage of the opportunity to attend the Majors and Minors Fair. Before attending the fair, I felt uncertain about my major and my career path, as I’m sure many college students do. I still am uncertain about what I want to do after college, and there are many different professional paths that interest me. However, I feel more certain about my future and what I want to do. I would advise all readers who are uncertain of their major and did not get to attend this even to contact students and professors in the programs they are interested in and hear what those majors are like in person. This is an important step that will likely help them decide on a major.
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