Tufts Blogs

I’ll be honest, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to do when I started at Tufts. There’re so many different fields and majors out there to choose from, and it’s fantastic to have that many opportunities. However, it's no secret that the process can certainly be overwhelming at times, but it doesn’t have to be! This is my long journey to finding my English major, and how I made use of Tufts requirements and pre-major advising along the way!

My pre-major advisor connected with me before I even arrived on campus, and that first meeting helped start setting the groundwork for my path forward. She and I met online and started to get to know each other, discussing my general interests and potential classes. She really helped make sure I understood the requirements at Tufts, especially the distribution requirements that cover a wide range of disciplines. At her encouragement, I took courses during my first semester that helped fulfill some of those requirements and provided me with the opportunity to experience a variety of fields. These included an Environmental Energy physics course, Big Bang to Humankind (which has remained one of my favorite STEM courses here!), and an Introduction to Ethics course. During orientation, my pre-major advisor invited all her students to meet her at her office at any time, and I loved meeting her in person and talk further about my interests.

After my first semester, I was still very much confused about my major, so I emailed my advisor and she helped set up a meeting with me. There we laid out my thoughts in a much more organized way, and found that while I had enjoyed my STEM courses, the humanities had captured my passions much more. From there, my pre-major advisor helped set up some ideas for my next semester. I told her about my interests in writing during high school, and she recommended a Creative Writing course that she had heard great things about from previous students. 

This course first sparked my interest in the English field, and when I expressed that, my advisor gathered a collection of other courses she thought I might enjoy, helping balance the deeper investigation of them with the continued exploration of interdisciplinary topics. She really encouraged me to experience more courses in a variety of subjects to be sure I was comfortable with where I wanted to go, especially since I had more than enough time to do so. Still, a potential English major seemed great, and I discussed that further with one of my professors that had been a major advisor for many students in the past. Eventually, after experiencing four classes in English, I selected a major advisor and declared in the winter of my second year.

It took a while to pick my major, but the resources here turned a daunting task into an exciting journey of exploration. I never felt as if I was falling behind anyone else, as the distribution requirements made sure that everyone in the community was branching outside their comfort zone to get a variety of experiences. On top of that comfort, my pre-major advisor was a resource that was always readily available was invaluable in guiding me through my first couple years at Tufts!