Things I Didn’t Know as a Freshman: Liberal Arts Edition

Okay, so I did start off this blog with a long title but allow me to explain exactly what I mean. When most people apply to college they have this picture-perfect idea of what they want their future to look like. I know I did! I applied to Carleton expecting to be a Political Science major with a double minor in Public Policy and Philosophy, and then go on to law school and be a great lawyer or a judge somewhere. While it’s still possible for me to go to law school, my grand life plans took quite an unexpected turn, that even high school Hannah could not predict.

It all began during my first term of freshman year. I took my first Economics class, and I actually really enjoyed it. It worked well with Political Science and I thought: what if I become an economics major instead? (That idea ended after taking a 200-level class in my winter term. Though I liked the content, it did not come easy to me. I wasn’t able to commit to doing it for the rest of my time at Carleton.) Political science was still at the top of my list, and I was confident in my choice… until spring term when I took Introduction to Geology to fulfill my lab requirement.

To be completely honest, when I first started the class, I hated it. I was convinced that I would be dropping it. Fast forward to the eighth week or so in the term: my classmates and I are talking about what we plan on majoring in and I mention that I am going to be a political science major. One of my classmates jokingly said “Not a geo major?!” which I laughed off and said “well…”. My professor overheard our conversation and later talked to me about potentially being a geology major, showing me what a future class schedule could look like. I accepted the sheet of paper with the terms roughly planned out with a smile but I didn’t expect to end up following it.

During registration, I decided to take one more geology class (Tectonics), while simultaneously taking a political science class, just to quiet that little voice in my head and ensure that political science was what I truly wanted to major in. By the time summer hit, I found myself quite torn between the two, but almost distraught that I was straying from my original goals. Why wasn’t I fully committed to political science? What about my dreams for the future? Was I abandoning them? Was I not staying true to myself?

I had so many worries about whether I was headed in the right direction. After fall term, I was even further from where I wanted to be in my decision making. I loved Tectonics, and my political science class wasn’t what I was hoping it would be. I was more confused than ever, but I couldn’t even take more classes in the two disciplines because I would be abroad during winter term (more on London later!), and we declared in the first two weeks of spring!

Luckily, being immersed in a foreign city and learning new things in a completely new department (English!), allowed me some space away from both departments. London had political aspects and geologic aspects, both in an outside and real-world setting. While I was participating in off-campus studies (aka OCS), I suddenly felt it was so much easier to make a choice.

Basically, after this long long ramble of self-discovery, my point is: it’s okay to change your interests! And furthermore, it’s okay to have multiple interests and to explore new things. You’re going to change, you might not follow the path you thought you would, and you’re not going to be the same person that you were when college started. On my first day at Carleton, one of the administrators who was speaking to our families and class said “If you leave Carleton the same person you were when you arrived, we have done something wrong.”

I have already changed so much from when I was a freshman, from my academic interests (I want to minor in Classics now!) to my current sport. What I’m saying is, the wonderful thing about Carleton is you’re given the chance to explore so many disciplines. Currently, I am taking a Computer Science class, an Anthropology class, and a Geology/Biology class, and I have a multitude of future classes in new departments as well. Many of my friends here came into college with a completely different notion of the major that they have now declared! You grow so much from the person you are in your senior year of high school to who you are when you graduate from Carleton, and the liberal arts experience pushes and changes you in ways that you won’t expect, and honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Want to read the thoughts of my freshmen self in geology during spring last year? Check it out here. Oh and an update on the major-declaration freshmen me… I did end up choosing geology 🙂

Hannah is a sophomore majoring in Geology and minoring in Classics. Born and raised in Minnesota, she considers herself somewhat of an expert on MN winters. At Carleton, she fills her schedule with writing for the Admissions blog, working as a CCCE Communications Fellow, taking flute lessons, and increasing voter engagement on campus. When Hannah isn’t in class, she can be found tossing a frisbee with Syzygy, looking at rocks, reading, walking and skiing in the Arb, thrifting, and hanging out with her besties. Meet the other bloggers!