After spending your first month at Amherst, you start wondering what you will major in. In my position as a first year in my second semester, I can attest to the anxiety of knowing what you “will be” after college. My appreciation for spending the week before my first week of school with the AHA (Arts and Humanities in Action Program) has everything to do with the fact that there is no right answer. Being a part of the very first AHA Cohort taught me that having an Arts and Humanities degree still offers many opportunities, more than people realize.
It might seem awkward to be at school a week before most of the campus, but this is just one of the many opportunities offered during the January term. It is a period (within one month) where students can take a course or Trek/Program.
Although Amherst is currently not offering courses, AHA is an opportunity for first-years to reflect and learn about themselves. In this specific program, I talked to alumni, and professors in various departments (ex. American Studies, Music, Russian Studies, Law, Jurisprudence, and Social Thought) about their journey after receiving their degrees in Arts and Humanities. From Myths about the Starving Artist to Storytelling you begin to unveil the skills you have cultivated for the past 18 years and the skills you need to work on. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses (be honest)? You can forget expectations from parents, professors, previous teachers, and everything that pressures you to be one thing; this is a time to express yourself and explore the many opportunities a liberal arts education can offer you. Regardless of whether some people reading this are already enrolled at Amherst or are considering it, this applies to everyone.
The benefits of spending a January term at Amherst are numerous. Humanities majors now work in investment and other fields, which shows that the skills you choose to grow from now on will have the greatest impact on your career and momentum at Amherst. It was also a nice chance to visit the Amherst investment office, see Hamilton at the Citizens bank, and listen to a live rehearsal of the Boston Symphony Orchestra during a day trip to Boston. Among the numerous opportunities and help offered by the Loeb Center, my experience was just one example.