Elke's Blog

Planning for Sophomore Year already?!?!

I think back just a year, and it's amazing how everything has changed.

I was facing a decision that would determine the next four years of my life. I, like most of my high-school friends, had applied to enough schools to make this decision incredibly difficult. With the acceptance and financial aid packets in hand, I had until May 1. Out-of-state / in-state, public / private, less than 5,000 undergrad / over 10,000. Everyone was different and I felt that I overwhelmed.

I cracked down and began my research. I called students and alumni, visited websites across the board, and talked at length with my parents. By this time last year, I was sick of it all and just wanted to know where I would be in the fall.

Eventually May 1 rolled around and I drove out to the airport at 11:00pm to postmark my reply to the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. In all truth it was the Open House that convinced me to sign that confirmation letter.

I remember attending an information session about individualized degree programs (IDP) and knew that it was something worth checking out. For someone like me, who is interested in the entire social sciences and did not look forward to focusing my studies on one discipline, it was a viable option. And so there’s my intended major (although I still have to formerly declare)…

It really is the perfect option for me. I get to combine 3-4 concentrations, designing my own major. I’m not really sure how it is all going to work out, but in the end I am sure to have found the perfect way for me to get a degree in international relations.

I met with my advisor last week to discuss classes for next semester. I can’t believe it’s almost the end of freshman year. Next fall as a sophomore, I plan on taking classes to help me decide on my IDP. Sociology, anthropology, social justice, global studies, political sciences – it’s all up in the air. It’s great to have completed my liberal education requirements. They were fun classes that showed what interested me and what I should never attempt again. (Astronomy turned out to be the latter, unfortunately).

In the advising session, we also discussed such things as study abroad and internships. I definitely count on studying abroad at least once, if not twice. The programs here are amazing. I could go for as long as a year or just 2-3 weeks over winter or summer break. I could study international ethics in Amsterdam or study the Olympics in China. Now all I have to do is decide…

While this might all seem settled and that I have my college career, it’s anything but. Last semester I was briefly considering pursuing a major in technical theater. Last month, I was wondering if I wanted to be hoping on a plane this may to Argentina to study human rights. Next month, I anticipate much to be the same. Or I might surprise myself by registering for Korean. We’ll just have to wait until then because I never know. I’m still figuring things out.

March 31st, 2008