My visit home/Debra Humphrey

Debra Humphrey's speech helped relieve some of my anxieties. I've been really worried about being a political science major (with a minor in women's studies and considering either a major or minor in history) since many people say it isn't "practical" like a degree in Accounting or Engineering would be. Although Humphrey did talk about the importance of students going into math and science, I didn't get the impression from her (like I've had from others) that even students without much aptitude for these subjects had to major in them or else college was a waste of time. The fact that she had a degree in art history and is now in current job makes me realize that it probably is smart to do what interests you in undergrad and then see where it leads you. I'm fairly sure that, like Ms. Humphrey, I will be going on to further education after undergrad. I still don't know what exactly that will be, but I am considering academia more strongly than I have in the past.

That said, I've heard that it is a very hard field to break into, so I'm still very apprehensive about the idea. When I visited home this weekend, I spoke to my parents quite a bit about what I wanted to do for the rest of undergrad and afterwords. They were both very supportive and happy that I was thinking in the long term even though it's all kind of vague at this point. I suppose between my parents and Ms. Humphrey, I feel more optimistic about my future after this week than I did before it. Of course, just one look at the latest economic news can always change that very quickly...I just hope my optimism isn't misplaced.