5 Advantages of Majoring in the Humanities at Rochester

Although many undergraduate students choose to major in the natural sciences or the social sciences, majoring in the humanities brings many benefits, particularly to those studying at the University of Rochester. Below are my top five reasons for majoring in the humanities at college!

The tight-knit community
Partially because campus is pretty small, but also because of the field itself, students engaged in the humanities at Rochester become part of a tight-knight group (almost mimicking a “secret club”) of students all across campus. The beauty of it is the fact that the humanities are relevant to all subjects, no matter how distant they might seem at first sight, and so an unnamed bond is formed between students in those fields, even if they might not know each other. The community is incredibly welcoming and eager for you to join!

Great access to faculty
Although this can seem scary at first, students majoring in the humanities often find themselves in classes with very few other students. This gives you better access to the faculty, teaching full-time and part-time at the University, letting you explore the work of scholars who came before you. Not to mention, good relationships with a member of the faculty or two can go a long way even after college!

No final exams (just papers)
I am sure no one likes to take final exams. Thankfully, as a humanities student, chances are quite low that you’ll be stressing about those at the end of the semester! Instead, you’ll be writing final papers. But at least you won’t have to cram the night before, am I right?!

Embracing studying abroad

Something that I think often goes undervalued when going to college is the experience of a semester abroad. Regardless of whether you’ve traveled a lot or this is your first time leaving the country, studying abroad is a unique experience that’s difficult to match on campus. Unsure if this is something for you? I’d urge you to go to an info session! Who knows what you’ll be getting to see abroad—you definitely won’t return the same!

Part of your life

One of the key things about the humanities is that you get to explore your own interests and ideas as you discover the various subjects within the field. Feeling in the mood for some philosophy? There’s a class for that! Realizing that studying English, or perhaps a foreign language is more your thing? There are classes for that, too! No matter where life takes you, majoring in the humanities will surely help you along the way.