It’s true. I was infinitely guilty of judging people based on the major they chose. When I started out my college journey, Biology colored my life and science was the only way to go for me. Other majors just didn’t compare. All that changed when a bout of sickness plagued me.

I missed too many classes and couldn’t keep up. Somewhere in that year, all the things I did contributed to making one of the hardest decisions I ever made: stay a Biology major and finish years later playing catch up or take a change of plans. Finances and rationality told me that the latter was the best choice.

However, my journey didn’t end with Psychology as my final major. It would be a lie if I said I never regretted my decision. Psychology offered interesting topics and I loved it, but in bits and pieces. Overtime, I realized that this decision made me a better person. No more late nights and reciting the bones and nerves ad nauseum.

Somehow, I still felt like something was missing. It wasn’t until several Psychology courses later that a professor commended me for my writing, something I thought was lacking. It took several others reading my writing that got me thinking about what I wanted to do.

Now the problem was that it was too late to be a full blown English major. Luckily, it wasn’t the case for attempting to continue on the Liberal Studies road. My new advisor completely understood that things happen and gave me the courage to fill out the form for an English minor.

There were days when I doubted my decision. At first, I felt that it was a cop out. Typical college students finished in four years with a career at the helm by the end. Graduating on time became infeasible and it saddened me. After many sessions with Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and plenty of wallowing, I knew the only way meant getting rid of all doubt.

Each day is a constant reminder that I did the right thing. I fall more in love with classes on Philosophy and Music Appreciation. Also, as an English minor, I can express my ideas through the term papers after reading renowned classics. From the perspective of a Liberal Studies major, I give zero worries about what people think of my choice.

There’s so much freedom and delving into History and Women’s Studies courses was a treat. It’s made me a more well-rounded student and given me more opportunities than I could ever dream of. Choosing the unconventional route, I interned at the Historic Oakwood Cemetery and got to interview a number of wonderful characters about their experiences. It’s even led me to venture out and network with different writers and editors. One editor even extended me the honor of writing for her online magazine, Candid Slice!

People will always remind me that Liberal Studies pale in comparison to other majors. Some might also put me down on what jobs may come my way. The way I see it, that’s perfectly fine. In fact, I want people to ask me questions about what I do.

Because I have an answer ready when that dinner conversation pops up. How else can I tell them about Sylvia Plath and Archaeology? Who knows? I might even convince someone to take the dive and switch to Liberal Studies!