The Happy Marriage of Your Major and Your Minor
As someone who is notorious for being indecisive, it is quite impressive that I was able to settle on not only a major, but also a minor to pursue at Indiana University.
From a young age, I wanted to be a nurse. I have always loved working with others, had a deep interest in science, and found myself being the caretaker amongst my peers so it seemed like a perfect match. As I neared the end of high school, I became less and less sure of this path. As much as I am an analytical, practical person, I am also extremely creative and wondered about the pursuit of a career that allowed me to express this creativity every day. I dreamed a job that gave me the best of both worlds!
It wasn’t until the summer before freshman year that I came to the decision to switch my major from Pre-Nursing to Marketing. After extensive back and forths and way too may pro/con lists, I had realized that studying something as broad as business would allow me more flexibility in the direction I took my career. I was excited about the openness of this path, as oppose to the linearity of nursing. I knew that in addition to this degree I wanted to add a creative minor that would enhance the business skills.
I started exploring what options Indiana had in the fashion realm. Fashion is something that seemed to come naturally to me and I was excited about the opportunity to incorporate this into my college curriculum. I felt that pursuing a minor in Apparel Merchandising would be an important step towards my goals of working in the retail/fashion industry. Additionally, taking up a minor outside of your major’s school (i.e. SOAAD) allows you to meet new people, experience new professors, and increase the variety of your course load. I knew that taking classes in both Kelley and SOAAD would be a great way to surround myself with students that would motivate and challenge me academically and creatively.
Fast forward to now as a junior, I could not be happier with my decisions. I’ve taken classes from textiles to accounting and everything in between! I cannot recommend enough incorporating your passions into your studies. The decision of your major/minor can be extremely daunting and overwhelming at first but you never know until you try! Even if there’s a minor you want to pursue that seems entirely unrelated to your major, so what! In the end, we’re in school to learn about the things we care about. Having a unique minor or major makes you stand out amongst the crowd and show that you’re not just a typical business or pre-med or political science student. I am so happy with how my “marriage” of Apparel Merchandising and Marketing have worked out and so grateful for the endless opportunities Indiana University provides!
