Patty
I'm Patty, a recent Penn State graduate. I joined Discover House because, like most freshmen, I had no idea what I wanted to study. Discover House and DUS were great resources for exploring the many majors and programs a big university like Penn State has to offer. "Majors Night," an almost weekly feature in Discover House, highlighted the majors of a particular college and gave students the opportunity to ask questions of both current students and professors of that college. I also had the opportunity to sign up for courses that were exclusive to Discover House and DUS students, such as a freshman seminar in library research methods, a very useful class for any major! I also benefited from the superb staff of academic advisers in DUS. They truly take an interest in you and do all they can to help you make an informed decision on a major.
After my freshman year, I declared Anthropology as my major. I have a passion for learning about cultures and customs different than my own. Anthropology allowed me to explore not only these differences, but also the similarities between cultures as well. This passion for studying human cultures eventually resulted in pursuing a concurrent major in International Studies and a minor in Chinese. As part of my studies, I spent a semester in Beijing, China. My time in China was truly eye opening and made me eager to learn more about this fascinating country. The "China bug" hasn't left me. This fall, I will be attending the University of Oxford, where I will pursue a master's degree in Modern Chinese Studies.
My time in Discover House and DUS highlighted just how important it is to choose a course of study that best fits "you." Four years is a long time to suffer through a major that you don't like. Explore your options. Ask questions. Take courses you think are interesting. The choice will become clearer if you do!
