When I was planning my fall 2019 classes, the first semester of my junior year, I found myself questioning my academic path. What did I want to do with the psychology major I had declared the semester prior? Why, when I looked at the potential classes, did I find myself wishing for different options? In order to feel more academically fulfilled, I realized that I needed to pursue another one of my interests. 

I had previously taken classes in economics, politics and anthropology. So maybe a minor? Or what about the ethics class I had enjoyed my first year, maybe there was something there? Wait — maybe an English class? The creative writing class I dropped after the first three-hour session hadn’t been for me, but what about nonfiction writing? I had really enjoyed working as a staff writer for a local newspaper the summer before.

If you choose to go to a liberal arts college and study the social sciences or the humanities, there is one question that you’ll inevitably face about your choice of academic discipline: So, what are you going to do with that? 

While not an illogical question to ask any person in their late teens or early 20s, the query is often infused with an added level of judgement or disbelief when you study something like philosophy or anthropology rather than computer science or biology. This is particularly true when there exists — elsewhere —  an “obvious” degree connected to your career path of choice. In my case, that would be a journalism degree. 

I could fill 16 tabloid-size pages with all my thoughts about the Mount Holyoke News, and I could probably do it on a tight deadline. But who would read that?

What I will say is this: Joining the student newspaper was the best decision of my college career. Nowhere on campus feels more like home than Blanchard 324, the paper’s newsroom since 1988.

Do you aspire to attend law school? You are not alone! Every year, dozens of Mount Holyoke students and alumnae apply. The process may seem daunting, but the Career Development Center (CDC) is here to help you every step of the way.

The path to a career in the arts can take many different directions, which means that finding your own next steps can sometimes be a challenge. With these tips and resources, you’ll be ready!