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Are we defined by what we study or by who we are becoming?
The question every college student gets asked is: “What is your major?” and “What year are you?” If I had a dollar for every time I have been asked those questions, I would probably be rich by now. But there is something interesting about the impact of our answer: our majors seem to give people an immediate idea of who we are, both academically and on a personal level. The moment in which we share what we chose to study, we can almost feel ourselves being placed into a category. We may receive or make comments like, “Oh, you must be really smart,” or even, “Oh, interesting…what do you want to pursue with that?”
Without even realizing it, we associate certain personalities, levels of intelligence, and expectations with different majors. At some point, these labels can begin to affect how we see ourselves and others. There may even be times when we make assumptions about someone's major before even getting to know them. We say things like, "You look like you would be a business major" or “I would have never guessed you were studying biology.” While these comments may seem harmless, they raise a very interesting question: Why do we associate certain personalities or characteristics with what someone chooses to study?
Along with these assumptions comes a certain type of pressure that students may not even realize they’re carrying. We can all agree college is already stressful enough between exams, assignments, work, and personal lives. Aside from that also comes the pressure of living up to the expectations that accessorize our major, in the eyes of others.
For some students, this pressure comes from pursuing a challenging field of study where maintaining a high GPA and consistently succeeding are expected. Meanwhile, students in other fields may feel less pressure to achieve high grades, as simply passing their courses is often seen as enough. But what happens when we do not meet those expected letter grades?
A disappointing exam grade does more than just alter our mood. We begin to question our intelligence, our abilities, and sometimes if this is what we should even be doing. Something that once sparked our interest can slowly start to fuse and become self-doubt. We start to become so hyperfixated on what we are expected to achieve that we completely forget why we chose our path in the first place.
However, our majors are only one part of who we are. Of course the subject we choose to study reflects the careers we want to pursue, but they should not determine our entire identity. Outside of class, we have hobbies, interests, friendships, and experiences that shape us. College is about preparing for future careers and professions, and it is also about being able to discover ourselves along the journey. We should take pride in our academic achievements without feeling like our worth is depending on it.
At the end of the day, a major is something we choose to study, not how we measure our intelligence. We should not allow one exam, one difficult semester, or even someone else's expectations to determine what we are capable of achieving.
Simply study, work hard, and do your best! After all, what do you call a doctor who once got a C in chemistry? A doctor.