Is there such a thing as a useless major?

Back in the early days of Facebook, when only college students and a select few high school students were on it, there was a rather popular group. It was called "I picked a major I love and one day I'll be living in a box." This was a chance for people who loved their major to poke fun at themselves for it. (The group may still be in existence, but I don't see it pop up anymore.)



Almost everyone has had that moment when they asked someone what their major was, and upon hearing the answer felt the response "What are you going to do with that?" slip from their lips instinctively. If not, then you have probably been asked that dreaded question. You have probablysaid this in response to answers like philosophy, religious studies, or maybe theatre. Some majors seem like their only use is leading to the life of a professional student.



However, in my opinion, no major is "useless." After all, you still come out with an education and a college degree. And no degree guarentees you a job or entrance to grad school. An unusual major, if nothing else, teaches you how to think differently and will make you stand out in a pool of applicants.



What are some of the majors out there, and what problems has it lead to? And on that note, how has your major specifically helped you succeed?

Smoking Bans on Campus

My school is far from smoke-free. All of the residence buildings have several smoking floors, and the only limitation for smoking outside is that you cannot be within 25 feet of an entrance, which of course, no one follows, including faculty. The problem with smoking bans is that they are nearly impossible to enforce. Campus cops usually do not have the power to give tickets.

I am not a smoker, but I do believe that people have the right to smoke, as long as they are not interferring with anyone else. In other words, smoking outside, and in your dorm room is permissable, community buildings are not. However, students who smoke are costing themselves money and their health, so any thing that makes students more reluctant to smoke is good thing. Social stigma, like the following article credits, inconvienence, and programs for students that wish to quit are, in my opinion, much more effective than rules.

http://abcnews.go.com/OnCampus/smoking-campus-schools-ban-tobacco-products/story?id=10889220

Budget Cuts

Due to the economy, colleges and universities everywhere have been forced to cut back on spending. In addition to that, Joe Manchin, the govenor of West Virginia has asked schools not to raise tuition this year. Those that have complied may be facing larger increases in the years to come as well as the need to cut spending students and faculty alike may consider necesary, such as later cafeteria hours or free coffee during finals.

How is your college adapting to smaller budgets? How do you see your self being affected?

Don't Do Too Much

I saw a great piece of advice in my facebook news feed about how to be productive from Entrepreneur. However, when applied to college, this advice will not only make you more productive, it will also make you less stressed and therefore healthier. You might already know what it is, it's that simple: Do less.

While in school, we may be told the exact opposite. You have to have a job, an internship, and volunteer activities in order to be appealing to your future employers. But you also will need to take the toughest classes and ace them, meaning you must study at least two hours for everyone hour of class (please please please tell me I am not alone in never having done this in my life.) Then of course, there are the things you want to do, like go to the occaisonal party, go out to eat, join a few clubs, and date. Oh, don't forget to stay in shape by getting nine hours of sleep, planning all of your meals (at least three a day, with snacks in between, kids!) and exercising.

Well, some of that is easy. First, you will not want to be in as many clubs as you thought you wanted after you attend a few interest meetings, so don't worry too much about that. Most college kids only have three meals a day when they're home, and like that just fine. As for the exercising, combine it with something else, like walk to class or the store, or do some active volunteering. And just forget the nine hours of sleep, you will adapt to getting less. And there is no shame in taking one class a semester that you can pass simply by showing up and raising your hand from time to time. As for the rest of your classes, plan when you will take them in advance so you will never have a heart attack over the amount of work.

The fact of the matter is, some things you are told you must do while in school aren't all that necesary, so figure out what is really important, and what you want to put you soul into to get the best results.

Procrastination

While we may complain that we never have enough time to get everything done, that is probably a lie at least some of the time. The fact is we like to procrastinate.



Its the bane of every student's existence. I'm so bad at it that I cannot function unless I'm in crunch time, even if that means my work will suffer. However, Entrepreneur.com has a list of useful strategies to beat the reasons why people put things off. Read the article here: http://www.entrepreneur.com/management/managementcolumnistscotthalford/article206834.html

Empathy is Dead.

According to a new study, we as modern-day college students have as much as 40% less empathy than our counterparts in the 80s and 90s. When I think about it, that may be true, but I don't think its necesarily that we care less.

I consider myself a pretty empathetic person. I feel bad when bad things happen, even if it is to bad people, or someone I don't know at all and I know other students, or recent students, who are similar but to a different degree. However, it doesn't get me all that far.

Think about when a society asks for donations, which is usually every day. Do we see the results of the donations we do make? Most likely all we see is the suffering continueing, or that same organization asking for even more money. Or we see just as valuable causes fall by the wayside for more popular one. And we've all witnessed administration get in the way.

When we try to be empathetic, is it returned? Or do we have poor empathy role models who show us that it is not worth the trouble?

So yeah, we're less empathetic than some former college students when they were our age. But maybe its because we had to enter the real world before graduation. After all, are working adults so much better?

Here is a link to the article and one psychiatrists theories about how it happened: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,593832,00.html

Making the most of Summer

Back in high school, summer was a time for a break, when we could hang out with our friends. all that changed when we started college. It becomes a time to take on even more work, and our buddies are scattered throughout the country. Here's how to get the most out of your work when the days are long and the nights are hot.

If you are like most students, you will either get a job, or take classes. Both are good ideas. If you take classes, take the ones that you think will require the most work. You won't be distracted by friends or organizations, and you can put in more time than you would during the fall or spring since you won't have to worry about so many other classes.

As for a job, make sure its something that will help you with your career and think resume building. See if you can get a job or internship with a company you would like to work with after college.

Just because something doesn't pay doesn't mean you can't get a lot out of it. Look into volunteering or an unpaid internship if you cannot find a paid one. It will help you develop needed skills and you may find useful networking opportunities.

Also consider taking the time to research. If you will be graduating next year, see if you can visit the graduate school you would like to attend or a city you are considering living in.