The idea of designing my own major sounds incredible. Like, yes, let me just invent the perfect field of study that combines everything I love.
But I'm also a person who needs structure. If you give me too much freedom, I will absolutely wander into the woods and never come back.
So I've been trying to figure out: does Pitzer's "self-designed major" option actually work, or do students end up with a messy transcript that no one understands?
I reached out to a current student. She's doing something called "Environmental Storytelling" —a mix of environmental science, creative writing, and media studies.
She said the process was surprisingly structured. You don't just declare your major and make things up. You work with a faculty committee. You write a proposal. You defend it. By the time you start, you've basically already outlined your entire four years.
She also said something that surprised me: "The hardest part wasn't designing the major. It was convincing myself I was allowed to do something unconventional. I kept thinking, 'Is this real? Can I actually do this?'"
That hit me. Because I feel that way too. Like the "normal" path is safe. The self-designed path is risky.
But maybe the risk is worth it if it means I spend four years studying something I actually care about instead of something that looks good on paper.
I'm still deciding. But the idea of not being boxed into a pre-existing major is incredibly tempting.
But I'm also a person who needs structure. If you give me too much freedom, I will absolutely wander into the woods and never come back.
So I've been trying to figure out: does Pitzer's "self-designed major" option actually work, or do students end up with a messy transcript that no one understands?
I reached out to a current student. She's doing something called "Environmental Storytelling" —a mix of environmental science, creative writing, and media studies.
She said the process was surprisingly structured. You don't just declare your major and make things up. You work with a faculty committee. You write a proposal. You defend it. By the time you start, you've basically already outlined your entire four years.
She also said something that surprised me: "The hardest part wasn't designing the major. It was convincing myself I was allowed to do something unconventional. I kept thinking, 'Is this real? Can I actually do this?'"
That hit me. Because I feel that way too. Like the "normal" path is safe. The self-designed path is risky.
But maybe the risk is worth it if it means I spend four years studying something I actually care about instead of something that looks good on paper.
I'm still deciding. But the idea of not being boxed into a pre-existing major is incredibly tempting.