Value of a Liberal Arts and Sciences Degree
I went into college wanting to know how to think. I wanted something more than reciting facts off a slide. A liberal arts and sciences major allows you to see and easily move between different perspectives while evaluating arguments on a deeper level. As a pre-med student, my philosophy major helps me understand the importance of sound logic and how to critically evaluate philosophical arguments.
Finding Your Fit in a Liberal Arts Major - True or False? Heading link
Exploring and finding your fit in a major is a process. Test your knowledge of fact or fiction in the following exercise warm-up. Read the statements below and click on the accordion to see whether or not it is true or false!
Most students know their major when they enter college.
False! 25-30% of incoming students are unsure of their major and two-thirds change their mind at least once.
There's a test I can take that will tell me exactly what to do
False! Tests and assessments can not tell you exactly what to do but they can be tools to increase self-awareness and learn about what interests, skills, values, and strengths make up your unique professional identity and help guide your decision making process.
Academic majors lead to specific careers
False! While some majors are more career focused given specific credentials needed (eg. Nursing), liberal arts majors prepare you for numerous career options and can be applied to many career paths and industries.
There is one perfect career for me!
False! Keep in mind career satisfaction can be found in several ways and you have many options to explore based on your interests, skills, and values. Part of the process is exploring, testing out fit, and exposing yourself to many different experiences in and out of school in order to rule in and rule out your interests and possible career interests.
I need to choose a career for the rest of my life.
False! On average, people make three career changes and have 7-10 different jobs throughout their life; all build skills and experiences and help to re-evaluate skills and new directions you want to build on.
What Can I Do With My Liberal Arts and Sciences Major? Heading link
Exploring majors and career paths can be equally exciting and feel somewhat overwhelming. It’s normal to wonder how major options can connect to career interests and how the pieces fit together. Many career paths do not specify one college major and are open to the application of many different majors. It is important to lead with your interests and get to know yourself (interests, skills, and values) so this can guide your decision making process when choosing a major.
In addition to your degree, it is important to consider what skills you want to build further and apply your interests through various experiences such as internships, research, student employment, service, clubs, and more! A helpful process to keep in mind is to remember that your degree + skills (core competencies) + experiences = leads to more career opportunities.
Knowing yourself gives you the vocabulary and tools to help you apply your major further, reinforce skills, and tell your story and value your major brings to a future career!
UIC Alumni - Can You Guess My Undergraduate Major? Heading link
See if you can guess the major of the highlighted UIC Liberal Arts alumni below!
After the reveal, consider how each alumni transitioned from their undergraduate major to their current professional position:
◊ What experiences do you think they gained through internships, research, study abroad, or student employment?
◊ What type of campus involvement and student organizations did they participate in?
◊ How did they identify unique skills and interests they wanted to develop further?
◊ How did they connect their interests in their major to career exploration?
◊ How did they share their story and make connections between their LAS major and the competencies they gained?
Human Resources Coordinator (Compliance & Operations)
Angelica majored in Applied Psychology
Academic Advisor, UIC College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
Mark majored in Applied Psychology and Spanish
Legislative Fellow, U.S. House of Representatives
Christopher double majored in Spanish and Political Science
Program Assistant, Talent Acquisition and Resources, Northwestern University
Naomi majored in Sociology
1st Year Professional Pharmacy Student, UIC College of Pharmacy
Shukri majored in History with minors in Biological Sciences and Global Asian Studies
Internship Director and Law Clerk, Fabbrini Law Group, LLC
Adrian majored in Philosophy
Director of Youth Development, PowerNetwork
Ja’Qwan majored in Applied Psychology
Chicago Deputy Director, New America
Harish majored in Political Science and Philosophy
Quantiative Trader
Tim majored in Mathematics and Computer Science
Law Clerk, Schwartz and Kanyock
Omar majored in English
Environmental Engineering Technician, Andrews Engineering, Inc.
Alec majored in Earth and Environmental Sciences
Director, AMA
