General Studies?

[ms. sunshine]

I am a general studies major. While I was in college, I switched my major several times. As a first-generation, non-traditional student, I had no idea there were so many majors/minors/concentrations/certificates available to study in college. I was interested in so many things - I wanted to try ALL the classes. I will admit that I didn't have a strong advisor to help me stay on track, so I spent a great deal of time volunteering and taking work study positions in departments across campus. I'm so thankful that I was able to explore different subject areas while working towards a degree. In the end, I graduated with minors in American Studies, International Studies, Sociology, with a Certificate in Diversity & Stratification. My internship and practicums in ESL, tutoring, and my work in the writing center lead me to focus on English and teaching. I got into graduate school in an education program and completed my area of concentration in English. I am an English professor and it's absolutely the right career for me. If I hadn't been able to explore other areas, while accumulating credits towards my general studies degree, I might have ended up stuck in the major I declared when I started college: accounting. It was definitely NOT my passion.

That said, I would strongly suggest that general studies majors take advantage of experiential learning opportunities and seek guidance from professors in the fields they are interested in pursuing. It was one of my education professors that encouraged me to try different internships and practicums so that I could see if I really liked teaching, all while gaining valuable work experience. Without his guidance, I'm not sure where I would have ended up. :)

[Wahoo Redux]

It is difficult for me to imagine any potential employer being impressed by this major.

Three fifths of my students are now in the business college.  Repeatedly employers tell them that they don't really care what degree one graduates with a long as one has a degree and some sort of job-share or internship.