In a University filled with intelligent and hard working
students, it is a constant struggle for individuals to pave their own unique
path and distinguish themselves from their peers. However, there are many
little known ways in which students who search hard enough discover as means to
differentiate themselves academically and carve their own educational niche at
the University of Virginia.
The first not-so-obvious trick is to utilize the variety of
options students have regarding majors. I remember my orientation leader
telling my group during the summer before first year, “you will see - during
your first two years at the University of Virginia, 49% of students will
identify themselves as ‘pre-med’, 49% as ‘pre-comm’, and the last 2% as
‘other’.” Even when, inevitably, a good portion of the student body gives up,
either on their own accord or by the application process, on their ‘pre-med’
and ‘pre-law’ aspirations, they gravitate towards the same few majors. Both ‘pre-med’
and previously ‘pre-med’ students tend to lean towards a Biology, Chemistry, Biochemistry,
Environmental Science or Physics major, while previous ‘pre-comm’ students choose
a Economics, Psychology, Mathematics, Statistics, History, or one of the two Politics
majors, remaining one of the masses.
On the other hand, it is rare to find students who major in American
Studies, African-American and African Studies, Archaeology, Art History,
Classics, East Asian Studies, Human Biology, Jewish Studies, Linguistics,
Medieval Studies, and Women Gender and Sexuality, and many more! A fact that
many students forget to consider is that the majority of graduate and
professional schools do not have specific majors that they prefer over others.
For example, while getting into a Medical School requires the taking of certain
‘pre-med’ classes, there are no particular majors they prefer. You can elect to
major in any field you wish and as long as you take those prerequisites, you
can still, with the right GPA of course, get in to your medical school of
choice. The same follows for Law Schools (which have no undergraduate
requirements), Business Schools, and other professional programs. In fact,
majoring in something different could increase your chances of acceptance by giving
you an edge regarding the diversity of the entering class.
Secondly, many students either ignore or are uninformed
about the various interdisciplinary programs available at UVA. An
interdisciplinary major allows students to take classes for a variety of fields
in order to get their degree with a greater range of exposure. A couple of the
interdisciplinary majors offered at the University of Virginia are Global
Development Studies, Political and Social Thought, Cognitive Science, Political
Philosophy, Policy, and Law, and Neuroscience. These majors all operate based
on a selective application process with the number of students admitted ranging
from 20-70 per year, depending on the program. By choosing one of these majors,
and getting in, students are not only able to distinguish themselves from the
rest of their class, but narrow their focus while still getting exposure from
various departments. With my Political Philosophy, Policy, and Law Major, I
have been able to take classes in the History department, Politics department,
Commerce department, Psychology department, Sociology department, Philosophy
department, and Economics department that all count towards my major while my
roommate who is majoring in Government is limited to taking her 10 required
courses from the Politics department. You can even choose to create your own
interdisciplinary major and submit an academic plan for approval. You would
think that with such great programs available, many apply to them every year,
however only a shockingly small amount of students do, and those who do, tend
to apply to multiple ones at the same time.
As a final note, minors are also often ignored and wasted at
the University of Virginia. At UVA, you are allowed to double major but not
double minor. Therefore, a more careful consideration is needed before making
such a decision. Many students opt to minor, or even double major and minor,
seeing as a minor can constitute as low as 5 classes to complete. As the case
with majors, it is also easy to predict which minors people will choose. The
most common minors include Economics, Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science,
Spanish, Government, Foreign Affairs, Philosophy, Psychology, and Sociology. Students
need to keep in mind that there are a large variety of exceptional minors to
choose from and use to academically distinguish themselves from their peers.
Some examples include Bioethics, Classics, Global Culture and Commerce, Global
Public Health, and Studio Art. With such a variety of both majors and minors to
select from, students at the University of Virginia are fortunate to have the
opportunity to have their own distinctive academic route, so keep these
possibilities in mind!
