Sophomore
Majors
Workshop
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
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
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
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
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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 :)
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
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
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.
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.
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
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
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
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
Family Pressures?
Societal Pressures
Job Stereotypes: Economics
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
Job Stereotype: Philosophy
Actual reason to choose your Major?
Because
you love it!
The End!