1. Sophomore Majors Workshop

2. Lauren Schiffer’s Story ● Class of 2016 ● Majors: Music and Business & Management ● Involvement: o Wheaton Whims o Hungry Lyons Theme House o Wheaton Box Office o Internship at Attleboro Arts Museum ● Plan to pursue a career in arts administration

3. Major in? ● Chemistry or Neuroscience? ● Took classes, self-reflection, talked with other students and professors ● Decided to follow my passion for music. ● Followed through and started pursuing my goal

4. Advice ● Be realistic, be passionate ● Look at what you involve yourself in already and what you do with your spare time ● Be creative ● Try it out and get an internship

5. Clare Prober’s Story ● Class of 2016 ● Major: Philosophy ● Minor: Legal Studies ● Involvement: o SGA (Hearing Board Chair) o S.E.G.A (Students Engaged in Green Activism) o Philosophy club: Project Coordinator o Sophomore Peer Mentor ● Plans for the Future: Law school/Graduate school

6. Major Path ● Started out exploring the pre-med track ● Took diverse classes throughout freshman year and first semester of sophomore year ● Realized I was unhappy with the sciences and found passion in philosophy. ● Got involved with philosophy club and talked to professors ● Declared philosophy major :)

7. Advice ● Pay attention to the classes that make you most excited and determine what about them you really like ● Talk to your professors and advisor. Talk to students in those majors. More information=better decision ● Get involved in clubs that represent your academic interests

8. Kimberly Belgrave’s Story ● Class of 2013 ● Major: History & Secondary Education ● Involvement: o ICB (Intercultural Board) o Distinguished Women of Color Collective (DWOCC)S o Building Manager for SAIL o Renaissance House o Sophomore Peer Mentor ● Plans for the Future: PEACE CORP, and upon completion teaching high school Social Studies

9. Major Path ● Started out on the Economics then changed a few times my first year Economics → American Studies → History ● While I figured out my major, I completed all of my other requirements - Foundations, QA, etc... ● Sophomore Year, I placed my self of a track and in about two semesters, I finished my History Major ● Junior & Senior Year - took on a second major - Education instead of graduating earlier ● With majors cemented, I found opportunities to build my undergraduate and teaching resumes.

10. Advice ● Take your foreign language requirement your first year - your body is still accustomed to waking up early mornings if there are between 8-10 in the morning. ● Its not bad to have a track path - but you should not allow that to stop you from takings courses you find interesting, even if they do not pertain to your major(s)/minor(s) ● Academics Come First ! Do not ever allow your extracurricular/work commitments to come before your classes; if you're struggling in subjects, get help because you are only jeopardizing your future. ● Find your support system here at Wheaton - whether that be one professor, a club, or a fellow Wheatie. Being away from home is hard, so surround yourself with those you love and vice-versa. It’s more fun that way.

11. Brittany Burke’s Story ● Class of 2016 ● Major: Neuroscience ● Involvement: o Sophomore Peer Mentor o Equestrian Team o Pre-Health Society ● Plans for future: Physician’s Assistant or Nurse Practitioner school specializing in psychiatry

12. Major Path ● Came to Wheaton dead set on majoring in psychology ● I hated chemistry and biology because I didn’t do well in them in high school so I avoided all natural science classes ● Someone told me to fulfill all my Wheaton requirements before my major requirements so I completed most of them freshman year ● Second semester my roommate convinced me to take an intro bio class and I loved it ● I started taking more biology and chemistry classes and did really well but I still loved psychology ● Met with neuroscience professors and discussed the major and its requirements with them ● Decided on neuroscience because it involved chemistry, biology and psychology

13. Advice ●Do not dismiss a major without trying it first because you might end up liking something that you wouldn’t expect to ●Meet with professors in the majors you are considering to discuss your interest in the major and the major requirements ●Do not rush your decision. Take your time to consider all of your options. You have plenty of time to decide ●Remember that even if you declare a major you are not stuck with that major. You can change your mind later and still fulfill the requirements of a more appealing major before graduation

14. Van Nguyen’s Story ● Class of 2016 ● Major: Philosophy & Economics ● Involvement: o Volleyball Club (President & Founder) o LIFE House (President & Founder) o Music Co-Op (Band member) o VUJ (Member; Tenor/Baritone) o Sophomore Mentor Program o Content Manager for Residential Life ● Plans: Unsure

15. Family Pressures?

16. Societal Pressures

17. Job Stereotypes: Economics

18. Reason to Major in Economics: Consistently ranked within the top 10 in average annual salary! Simply put: you get money. http://coss.fsu.edu/economics/economics/salary

19. Job Stereotype: Philosophy

21. Actual reason to choose your Major? Because you love it!

22. The End!