So You Want to Change Your Major...
I'm currently a Classics major. Classics is the study of ancient Greece and Rome, which, while somewhat interesting, is not my main area of interest. I've been an Egyptophile as long as I can remember, and my program just doesn't cover that area at all. (Not enough interest or room in the budget, say the deparment heads.)
Then there's the Latin problem. Earlier this semester, I had to drop my Latin class, due to a conflict in teaching styles (teacher changed at midterm, new teacher expected us to know more than we did, etc.) Latin and Greek aren't necessarily needed for a Classics degree, but they are required by almost everywhere if you want to do grad school at all. And doing a Classics degree without grad school is pretty much pointless; even to be an Archaelogist you need at least a Master's.
I want a job where you travel. A lot. I'll never be happy being stuck in one place -- even if it's the most wonderful place in the world. I need to be moving, changing, constantly experiencing new things. I just don't think I could deal with the tedium and repetition of academia.
So I started looking into the Global Development/International Studies major, and I have to say, I'm interested. It's definitely a heavy program, probably more writing to it than even history (which I was also considering majoring or minoring in for a while)
I can't pick my courses for next year until sometime in June (depending on what time-ticket I get, and I hear the second years get the worst ones :P) In order to even consider being a GD major, I'll have to take DEVS100, which fills up ridiculously fast. Still, I can try.
I'll take CLST101, just to keep my options open. I hope it's the same prof teaching it next year, because the one who taught it this year was also my Latin prof for first term, and I LOVE her.
To get the International Studies Certificate added to my degree, I have to do a bunch of stuff, not the least of which is do a semester abroad. :/ Well, that won't be this semester. But I will have to do at least two languages. I'm going to pick up French, because I've already taken it for 9 years, and while I can't speak it at all, at least I won't be walking in blind to it. Plus one of my friends is a Francophone and she already agreed to read over people's French essays XD.
Then I'll take German 201/202, since I still want to be a German minor.
That's four classes...I'll round it off with an International Studies class I guess. Assuming they'll let me; there's no prereqs listed other than "second-year standing," but who knows, right?
It looks good but...I'm still not sure. I hate how many first year courses I'm taking, even though I know that's still fairly normal for a second-year. I'm almost certainly going to have to take a fifth year, especially if I'm really serious about doing the IS certificate. Study abroad, oh gods, I don't even wanna think about how much that is going to cost.
And then there's the question of, what kind of jobs do you get with this degree? Grad school? I want to do grad school, even if it's not strictly necessary.
I know the obvious answer is: "GO TO ACADEMIC ADVISING, DUMBASS!" Thing is, I'm not even sure there IS academic advising here! Well, okay, I'm sure there is. But I don't know where it is, and I don't know if it's even open during exams anyway.
I hope I'm not making a big mistake. In ten years, I'll either be working for the UN or eating out of garbage cans. God help me : /.