How I Chose My Majors: Psychology and English

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I applied to UMass Amherst under the impression that it was “bad” to come into college without deciding on your major. However, seeing how long it took me to figure out what I wanted to study, I wish I had! There is nothing wrong with not knowing what you want to do, and many students end up switching their major during their time in college. Here is my path to finding my major, and why I chose to study what I did.

Public Health Sciences & Pre-Med

When I applied to UMass Amherst, I decided that I would apply to the public health sciences major and the pre-med program. Truthfully, I had little understanding of what it meant to study public health, but I knew I wanted to work somewhere in healthcare, and that I was passionate about providing accessible health services to all. My first semester, I took a History of Public Health class, as well as a few Gen Ed courses. I found my introduction to public health incredibly interesting. We learned about the US system of curative healthcare and how professionals in public health preferred a preventative system of healthcare. I also appreciated the emphasis on emotional and mental health found within the field of public health.

Despite this, I felt something was incomplete. After learning of the different positions within this profession, there wasn’t one career that stood out to me as something I would want to do. I kept coming back to the idea of mental health and wellness, but I was determined to exercise all options. In my second semester, I took another introductory public health class.

This course was focused on modern public health and how it interacts with different fields, and unsurprisingly, psychology kept appearing in our class discussions. Those lectures were the ones that excited me the most, so I made a decision…

Psychology

That same semester, I met with the psychology advising team and decided to switch my major to psychology. Over the summer of 2020, I took two psychology courses, Introduction to Psychology, and Forensic Psychology. I adored every second of those classes, even though they were remote. These ignited a deep appreciation for the study of mental health and behavioral sciences. Yet, something still felt off…

Psychology/English Double Major

In high school, English had always been my favorite subject, and I found myself feeling weighed down by the heavy science courses I had to take for my pre-med requirements. I longed for creativity and the discussion of literature, but I didn’t want to abandon my psychology studies. After discussing my options with my academic advisor, I decided to add a secondary major in English.

My first English course was English 200, an introductory course to the major. My professor, Ruth Jennison, was quick, smart, and passionate about the subject matter. We studied everything from short stories to poetry, and this course only excited me for the future English classes I could take. Although, I found myself being unable to take as many English courses as I wanted, as I was also balancing pre-med curriculum on top of these majors. This started as an annoyance, but evolved into something more…

Psychology & English Dual Degree…and NO Pre-Med

Coming into my junior year of college, I had realized that medical school was simply not for me. I was drawn to the research side of healthcare and thus began to work in a developmental psychology lab. This was, and continues to be, an incredible experience that gives me the opportunity to be an active participant in the facilitation of meaningful research.

That semester marked the end of my time in the pre-med program. I was then able to balance these science courses with English classes that exercised my “left and right brain” perfectly. After meeting with my English advisor in my junior year, we realized that I had enough credits to consider applying for a dual degree. Instead of being a double major, which would earn me a single degree, I could earn two degrees, a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology, and a Bachelor of Arts in English. This opportunity was incredibly attractive to me as it would give me the chance to fully immerse myself in both of my passions. As of Fall 2022, I have officially completed coursework for both my degrees!

There is no one ‘right’ path for finding your major, and I truly believe that it takes a lot of trial and error to find something that you are passionate about.

With that being said, my advice for incoming students who are struggling to pick a field of study is to

1. Be comfortable with declaring an exploratory track major
2. Realize that most people go through at least one major change in their college career
3. Pay attention in your Gen Ed classes for any units or topics that peak your interest — those are signs that may help orient you towards a major.

Good Luck!