Coming to Boston College, I selected Economics as my primary major. This was a surprise to my friends and family, who asked why you would choose to study something so broad but rigid: something you can’t even define? After a harrowing class registration process and precarious add-drop period, I found myself asking the same question.
At the advent of the second semester, I applied to be an International Studies major. Knowing that a second major would be rewarding, it seemed like a fun and spontaneous addition to the boredom I was experiencing with Econ. It was definitely the right decision for me.
BC’s International Studies program made a true effort to welcome and integrate its new students, offering a variety of concentrations to suit different interests. Among Conflict and Cooperation, Ethics and Social Justice, Global Cultures, and Political Economy, it was difficult to choose. But the introductory sophomore class cohorts helped build a community of peers navigating both the major and the uncertainty of sophomore year.
Having a supplementary major that allows me to take Political Science, Economics, and History courses has shaped my worldview to analyze current events through a more critical perspective. It has helped me identify the norms that concentrate US-centric narratives.
Understanding these historical perspectives allows me to grow a more nuanced and worldly eagerness in the way I analyze conflict. It is something I cannot recommend more as I feel it lives out the liberal art and Jesuit mission of becoming well-rounded “men and women for and with others.”
So with class registration upon us and pick-time anxiety looming, consider adding some unique classes to your schedule. Choose to venture outside your comfort zone and find complementary views to counterbalance the tedium of your current course load. While it can be frightening to be ignorant or new to a field, BC aims to challenge its students, with its exciting course catalog being a prime place to take this on.
Copy edited by Clancey Benfer
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