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?
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?
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?
See if you can guess the major of the highlighted UIC Liberal Arts and Sciences 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?
Judicial Law Clerk, Circuit Court of Cook County
Emily majored in Criminology, Law and Justice, and French Studies.
She gained experience as a Legal Content Intern at Illinois Legal Aid Online.
As an undergraduate student, Emily was involved in UIC Honors College, National Society of Collegiate Scholars (NSCS), Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity (PAD), and served as French Club President.
Quality Control Chemist, Nyco Products
Xochitl majored in Chemistry.
As an undergraduate student, she was a LAS GANAS Research Fellow at UIC’s Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and served as a LAS GANAS Student Ambassador at UIC.
Project Director for Project S.A.F.E, City Colleges of Chicago - Harold Washington College
Amanda majored in Gender and Women’s Studies and Sociology.
She gained experience as a Teensafe Coordinator at Jewish Family and Children’s Service of Greater Boston.
As an undergraduate student, Amanda was also a Volunteer Youth Empowerment Specialist at Peace Corps.
Independent Agent, COPLAN Consultant
Hyacinth majored in Economics.
As an undergraduate student, he worked as a Accounts Payable Clerk at Connect Search, LLC and as an Administrative Assistant at UIC College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Mental Health Counselor, Anixter Center
Yael majored in Sociology.
As an undergraduate student, she gained experience as a Healthcare Research Intern and worked as a Research Assistant for UIC Cognition of Second Language Acquisition Laboratory.
Software Engineer, Jobylon
Timothy majored in Statistics.
As an undergraduate student, he worked as an Analyst at Get20.
Research Specialist, NCIRE - The Northern California Institute for Research and Education
Kara majored in Anthropology.
She also served as a Graduate Student Researcher at UCSF Division of Geriatrics and Health Services Researcher at the U.S Department of Veterans Affairs.
Managing Director, Speculative Literature Foundation Inc.
Connor majored in English.
As an undergraduate student, he also worked as a Storefront Associate at Evanston Games & Cafe and as a Lighting Technician at Crossfade Design.
Associate Director of Talent Acquisition and Resources, Northwestern University
Naomi majored in Sociology.
As an undergraduate student, she interned at Elmwood Park Public Library and was an LAS Career Development and Internships Student Employee.
Associate Director of Undergraduate Research, University of Illinois Chicago
Ramona majored in English.
As an undergraduate student, she was a Escalera College Bridge Program Youth Coach at Instituto del Progreso Latino.
Ramona was also a part of the UIC Honors College.
Graduate Research Assistant, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis
Jason majored in Neuroscience.
He gained experience as a Summer Research Research Intern at the University of Chicago.
As an undergraduate student, Jason was involved with UIC Honors College, UIC Chapter of Nu Rho Psi, STEM Mentorship Network, and Light the Way @ UIC.
Field Geophysicist, Terracon
Nyla majored in Earth and Environmental Sciences.
She gained experience as a Field Geophysics Intern for Illinois State Survey at UIUC and as a Research Intern for Illinois State Geological Survey at UIUC.