Why I’m glad I ditched my Science major

To all of the English Majors out there: Have you ever felt out of place being surrounded by all of the science majors at UCI? Have you ever received comments about your major that indirectly deem it inferior to others? If so, don’t worry you are not alone. 

I was first accepted into UCI as a Biological Sciences major. During high school I figured that I should pursue a career in science seeing as how my closest friends were choosing that route as well. I knew that this type of major would be strenuous and would demand a lot of hard work but I chose it anyway because I was thinking ahead into the future and these careers tend to have really high salaries; the thought of that would often offer reassurance in regards to having made the correct decision.

During the summer before my first quarter at UCI began, I decided to enroll in summer session in order to ease myself into the college transition. Those weeks were one of the most enjoyable weeks of my life, I met new people and I found myself in a totally different environment. I was offered so much helpful advice and was told about real-life experiences regarding my major. These various conversations influenced me to change my major into one that I found to be more suitable for me: English. With the support of my parents and friends, I soon realized that I was only trying to fulfill nonexistent expectations with my initial major. I decided to focus on myself and what I wanted, it sure was a huge transition but I feel so much better as a person with my new major.

Now that I am an English major, I’ve found myself facing misconceptions and/or prejudice coming from different types of people around campus, even friends! The truth is, UCI is heavily populated with students whom major in Biological Sciences and/or Engineering. Not to mention Business and Economics students as well.

This is why English majors like myself receive comments such as “You don’t have to worry about doing too much work, you’re an English major!” – Deida L.

This places the Humanities in general, in a distant corner when compared to these majors. Nonetheless, I’m not trying to project any negative biased opinions on these majors because in reality, all majors are important and they all contribute to society in a positive manner. Everyone should be proud of what they study as long as they’re doing what they love!