Informational Interview

For my informational interview I chose to interview Grace Lowe, who recently graduated with an English degree. I found Ms. Lowe using Senior Bank and from her emails I knew that an interview would give me the answers I was looking for. I am still trying to determine if the English department would be a good fit for me so I was particularly interested In how Ms. Lowe decided on her major.

“Going into college, I wasn’t sure what career I wanted to pursue–that said, I knew that my strengths were in writing and communication. I worried that a Journalism or Communications major would restrict my career options, so I picked English because it offered a wide variety of courses and applications.”

This response was extremely helpful because I am also unsure about what career I want to pursue. It made me feel more comfortable with the English major as a serious option. One of the things that originally drew me to the English major was the freedom that comes with an English degree.

There is a common stereotype that being an English major is “easy” and won’t provide a dependable career. I know that there may be some instability in a major that doesn’t have a set path for after graduation, so I asked Ms. Lowe how she got involved and built up her resume to avoid such a situation.

“Admittedly, I was really ambitious with my extracurricular and professional experiences. From Freshman to Senior year, I participated in four internships, joined and held leadership positions in three student organizations, went on a short-term and a semester-long study abroad trip, and held two on-campus jobs.”

“While I would suggest limiting your activities (I was always exhausted because of my packed schedule), it’s important to find what you’re passionate about and get involved with it! I graduated with a jam-packed resume, which made me a very competitive applicant when I began my job hunt.”

Hearing a response like this made it clear that an English degree would be as competitive for jobs as I make it. There are endless ways I could improve my resume. The idea that I could improve my job prospects by participating in something that I’m passionate about is very appealing.

I was curious to know how Ms. Lowe’s hard work regarding extra curricular had paid off. I wanted to be sure that a resume that extensive was successful as I would have imagined.

“I was offered a job with Pearson Education in April–one month before I graduated. That said, I began my job search in February, so I had plenty of time to look. Because I had interned with Pearson the summer before, it wasn’t terribly difficult for me to secure a position with them. That said, I can’t stress the importance of internships and networking enough. People like to hire who they know!”

I was glad to know that internships play hat big of a role in job prospects because It means that my career would be in my hands. Making sure I’m a competitive option for jobs would be hard work, but it would also be completely possible and there would be many different ways to do it depending on what direction I chose to go.

Another reason I was drawn to the English department is because I love the English course I’m taking right now. If other courses are anything like that one, I know I would thoroughly enjoy the classes the English department has to offer. I asked Ms. Lowe what most of her courses were like to get an idea of what studying English would look like.

“I took an eclectic blend of Literature and Composition courses, but my favorites by far were Film and Comics (with Dr. Frederick Aldama) and Career Prep for English Majors (with Professor Jenny Patton). Both courses were extremely engaging, but it was the instructors’ commitment to student success that was especially inspiring.”

Hearing this was extremely encouraging. I like that there is such a wide variety of subjects within the English department and how they connect to almost every topic. When I choose my major, I don’t want to just choose it because it will provide me with a good career, I want a major that I genuinely enjoy studying.

To wrap up the interview I asked what makes someone a good fit for the English department. I’m still very unsure about what major is for me and I figured that some insight into the qualities necessary to study English would help me make a decision.

“Aside from being a strong reader and writer, you’ll need to be a strong advocate for yourself. I knew plenty of STEM majors who would occasionally make jokes about my “easy major,” but I didn’t let that discourage me.”

“As long as you know your strengths and can apply them in a variety of settings, you’ll thrive in any professional or academic setting. Be kind, work hard, and the rest will fall into place.”

Ms. Lowe’s final responses were extremely helpful and made me feel more confident about my ability to choose the right major and thrive within it. I am not sure that English is the department for me, but I know that it is a good option and a place where I could potentially do very well. Senior Bank was extremely helpful in this process and I intend to continue to contact graduates from other departments in my search for the right major.

Year in Review

[ “Year in Review”  is where you should reflect on the past year and show how you have evolved as a person and as a student.  You may want to focus on your growth in a particular area (as a leader, scholar, researcher, etc.) or you may want to talk about your overall experience over the past year.  For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

G.O.A.L.S.

[ “G.O.A.L.S.” is a place where students write about how their planned, current, and future activities may fit into the Honors & Scholars G.O.A.L.S.: Global Awareness, Original Inquiry, Academic Enrichment, Leadership Development, and Service Engagement. For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.

Global Awareness: Students cultivate and develop their appreciation for diversity and each individual’s unique differences. For example, consider course work, study abroad, involvement in cultural organizations or activities, etc .
Original Inquiry: Honors & Scholars students understand the research process by engaging in experiences ranging from in-class scholarly endeavors to creative inquiry projects to independent experiences with top researchers across campus and in the global community. For example, consider research, creative productions or performances, advanced course work, etc.
Academic Enrichment: Honors & Scholars students pursue academic excellence through rigorous curricular experiences beyond the university norm both in and out of the classroom.
Leadership Development: Honors & Scholars students develop leadership skills that can be demonstrated in the classroom, in the community, in their co-curricular activities, and in their future roles in society.
Service Engagement: Honors & Scholars students commit to service to the community.]

Career

[“Career” is where you can collect information about your experiences and skills that will apply to your future career.  Like your resume, this is information that will evolve over time and should be continually updated.   For more information, go to: http://honors-scholars.osu.edu/e-portfolio. Delete these instructions and add your own post.]

Artifacts

Lecture Reflection

Arts & Sciences: Social & Behavioral Sciences

I am very interested in this college in general, but the specific majors that caught try attention were sociology and anthropology. I did not know very much about sociology before this lecture so it was beneficial for me to attend and gain some understanding. Both of these majors focus on people and human behavior which is something I enjoy learning about. Both majors require the scientific and logical thought that I enjoy, but without loosing my interest like many science courses do.

I chose to attend this lecture because I am currently taking an intro to cultural anthropology course that I really enjoy, I am enrolled in a sociology course for next semester, and I plan on taking anthropology 2200H soon to get a science GE. Because I;m taking courses in these areas I thought it would be a good idea to learn a little more about the major as a whole. I also decided to attend this lecture because my sister is currently a communications major. She and I are extremely similar and she thought it might be something I would enjoy.

Something I found interesting was gearing how connected criminology and sociology are. I knew there was some connection but in the lecture I learned how connected the two are. This was interesting because it provided some information about what kind of careers could come of each major. Most majors in this college have a large variety of possible employment and the degree could be used to go into many different areas. Another thing I found interesting was when the student, Mary Grace, shared her personal experience doing real research. Although her story was about atmospheric science, and I am not interested in that, I enjoyed hearing about the field study opportunities in general.

One thing I am still unsure of is the career options for anthropology majors. According to the lecture, the two possible paths people can take are research and academics. But I’m wondering if there are any other employers that need people with anthropology degrees, and how practical it is to choose a major that potentially has limited options after graduation.

After attending this lecture I still think that I would be interested in anthropology, but I’m not sure about sociology. I have no interest in the justice system or in criminology, and from the lecture it sounded like those things were closely related to sociology. I also think that communication sounded interesting, but was not swayed in either direction by the lecture.

About Me

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As a first year student, I am in the exploratory program as a result of my broad interests and my desire to become more familiar with my strengths and weaknesses. I am using my time to take a wide variety of classes and expand my general knowledge in each area to better understand which majors best fit my interests and strengths.

I attended a small Montessori high school where I got constant attention from teachers and formed close bonds with classmates. I am excited to be attending a large University such as this one because I will have more independence and learn to how I function as an individual, not just as a member of a group. I have already discovered new things about myself and how I learn that will help me narrow my focus and find the major that is right for me.

Although I thought I was interested in math and science for most of my high school career, I discovered that I find subjects concerning people and culture far more interesting in the last couple months of senior year. I went on a school trip to the Dominican Republic where we visited elementary schools to teach the students English, explored the colonial zone filled with rich history about colonization, and learned about culture through interaction with people from every walk of life. This was an unforgettable experience that made me realize how much is out there and how interesting the smallest things can be. It was one of the few times where my mind was constantly occupied and disinterest was a foreign concept. I realized that I could find a career that makes me feel the same way, and now is the time to do that.

The freedom I have to choose my own classes and explore my own interests has allowed me to get to know myself in a way that high school did not due to strict academic requirements and lack of course variety. Finding my passion will take some time but I feel I have already made much progress, and will continue to make more.