What kinds of students are drawn to Humanities?
Here are some fictional student profiles based on the combined stories of students who have selected Humanities as a major:
“Jason”
I just came straight out of high school. I’m one of those kids who actually like school—well, some of it. I don’t think I’d be happy doing the engineer or pre-med thing. Everyone thinks that’s the key to getting a job, but that kind of job wouldn’t make me happy—at least I don’t think so. I signed up for a Humanities class last semester to fill a requirement and we read some Machiavelli. Well, who knew this Renaissance guy could explain so much about Washington politics today?! So I thought I’d see what else Humanities had to offer. My teacher thinks that writing and critical thinking skills—and a good job search strategy, of course—are the real key to getting the job I want. She says doing an internship next year would be really good for me. I hope she’s right…
“Karen”
I’m 43 and am definitely part-time. I work 40 hours a week (and then some) at a bank, plus I still have two of my kids living at home. My husband, well, yeah, he works too (and sometimes even watches the kids—sometimes). Anyway, I don’t have time for college! But I still have to do something that’s just for me. And I’d really like to have a college degree before all of my kids get theirs. I like Humanities because it lets me go at my own pace—a course here, a course there. They even agreed to accept some courses from another school as electives toward the major; I just need to figure out how they fit the competency areas.
“Maria”
I’m graduating this year. Humanities is actually my second major (along with Sociology), and I’m also working on a certificate in Museum Studies. I’ve taken a lot of “just for fun” electives that don’t really apply to Sociology, and when I looked at the Humanities curriculum I noticed that a lot of my electives actually fit that major. That’s great—just a few extra courses (which I need anyway to get up to 120 credits) and I’ll graduate with another major. Won’t that impress all those employers out there! Or should I go to grad school right away?? I haven’t decided that yet. I have to say, too, that Humanities has given me a new way of thinking about everything else I’ve done in college—a different spin, you know?
“Stephanie”
I wasn’t planning to have a baby before I graduated college, but you know how that goes! I’m 23 and my husband and I were married just over a year ago. I really want to finish my degree, and I know I’m going to. But it’s a lot harder now. My husband’s been great about doing his share with the baby, but I still need to be home a lot. It’s nice that there are some Humanities classes I can work on at home—for now at least. I meet with the professor in her office a few times a semester (she lets me bring the baby along) and exchange e-mail the rest of the time. I thought this would be easier than it is, though! It takes a lot of self-discipline—but then so does being a mom!
“Bob”
I’m retired—but hardly ready for shuffleboard tournaments yet! I mean, I’m only 65 years old!! So I thought, why not go back and finish my college degree? I started a degree back at the “traditional” age and managed to complete some courses before I joined the military. Next thing I knew I was married, kid on the way, and working in my father’s business. College just didn’t seem like the most important thing—though I knew I’d get back to it someday … Well, I guess this is it. Nice thing about being retired is that you can study pretty much what grabs you. Earning an actual degree is important to me, but so is studying what I really enjoy—literature, philosophy, art—you know, the classics.
