Majoring in Classical Studies: A Good or Bad Choice?

When I first started college, I was almost certain I was gonna major in Biology and be on the pre-med track. It was the profitable, sexy thing to do. I was super serious about it, registering for both Chemistry and Biology my first semester of college. Does anyone wanna guess how long I lasted before I dropped the Biology class? If you guessed a month, you're absolutely wrong. I lasted for two consecutive class sessions. The worst part? My liberal arts advisor was the professor.

Apparently I dodged a bullet though because I heard she was a trash teacher later on in the school year. When I figured that I wasn't gonna major in Biology or continue with pre-med, I decided that I wanted to major in something I had been missing my first semester: Classics.

For those of you who don't know, Classics is the study of Latin and Ancient Greek, as well as historical and other elements having to do with Ancient Rome and Ancient Greece. I first learned Latin in my freshman year of high school and I automatically fell in love with it. I thought I would have to give it up or study it on the side when I came to college, but because I had thrown out Bio, I decided to go after what I really wanted.

The thing is, people make fun of Classics/Classical Studies for not being profitable, not being sexy. The amount of times I've gotten the question: "What are you gonna do with that?" is uncalled for. "Do you wanna be a high school teacher?" Erm no, not quite. I would potentially be a professor, however. Nevertheless, there's a lot of worry in the air in regards to what I'll do with my life after college.

If I'm honest, I have no idea what the hell's happening after I graduate, but I definitely have faith. What people have to understand is that your major may not be directly or obviously connected to what you do after. In my opinion, skills one develops are very important. Classical Studies is great brain work, considering that I'm always deciphering words into English and always figuring out how to make translations sound like they make sense. I think it's easy to undermine someone's major, especially if it's a humanities major.

We need to rid this notion that STEM majors are the only useful ones. Granted, my future is uncertain, but I know it's bright. I've already pulled wonderful internships and opportunities, both related to my major and not. Let's wake up and stop sleeping on the Classical Studies kid.