At Amherst, we don’t have to declare a major until the end of our sophomore year, so many first-year students enter college with only a vague idea of what they want to major in. Fortunately, there are plenty of opportunities to explore possible majors that help students determine which department they wish to declare their major in. Many students, including myself, have a wide range of interests and choose to double major.
Most students can explore potential majors by attending events hosted by departments. Some departments, such as the mathematics and statistics department, host a weekly table chat, while the majority of departments often hold events occasionally. At the beginning of the year, there are tons of events, often called open houses, in which students can visit departments and talk with department professors about the major requirements and important information to know about the major’s courses. I attended the psychology department open house where I was given a sheet with all the psychology courses and major requirements for psychology.
Major-related events aren’t only limited to open houses – there are also fireside chats in which students can ask professors questions. A fun fact about these events is that there’s usually free food, such as cookies from Insomnia Cookies, located in the town of Amherst, available, so tons of students come to the events for both the information and free food.
Another way I’ve learned about majors I’m interested in is by talking to students who are majoring in those subjects. Since I’m part of the golf team and many members of the golf team are economics majors and psychology majors, I’ve been able to ask them about their experience majoring in these subjects, and they’ve offered plenty of helpful advice, including course recommendations. Even outside of my team, I’ve met people at non-major-related events who were more than happy to talk about their experiences with their majors. For example, I went to a bullet journaling event hosted by the Women of Color Collective and met a psychology major who was happy to talk about her experience with psychology research at Amherst College.
The Loeb Center is always a great resource to use as well. Since majors are often associated with certain careers, it’s a good idea to talk with Loeb Center counselors about potential careers you’re interested in and how your major can help you prepare for them. The Loeb Center can also help you prepare to apply for certain summer internships that you may be interested in that are related to your potential major.
Last but not least, the open curriculum is an option to explore your interests. Since we have no course requirements, many students can take introductory courses to certain majors without needing to commit to the major and don’t need to take any core courses that may take up space in their schedule and prevent them from being able to explore all their interests before declaring their major.
Exploring potential majors is often a long process, but there’s a large selection of resources at Amherst college to ensure that it goes smoothly as possible