College sophomore Shoshana Rosenthal enjoys many subjects at Penn.
But this blessing became a bane when she realized she had to pick one for a major.
"I like a lot of things, and I got overwhelmed [when deciding] what to study," she said.
Like her sophomore peers, Rosenthal must declare a major to be eligible for advanced registration for the next semester, which begins today.
And the decision, for many sophomores, is daunting.
"Having to specialize in one area made me nervous because it would decide my life path," she said, although she acknowledges now that this isn't necessarily the case.
And so the nerves associated with the decision may not be completely warranted.
"To a certain extent, your life and your major aren't inextricably linked," said College Dean Dennis DeTurck of the common misconception that majors necessarily have a monumental effect on one's life.
History professor and major advisor Ann Moyer agreed that students' career paths are not decided by a major.
"The Penn degree and the general College education go a long way with employers," she wrote in an e-mail.
In order to declare their major, students meet with that subject's department chair, who makes the decision official.
A major advisor is then assigned to that student, and the two then get together to plan out the student's academic path.
But not all students rely on their advisors when mapping out the rest of their time at Penn: A large number say they have known exactly what they wanted to do from the day they stepped foot on College Green.
College sophomore Ferdinand Percentie, for example, knew he wanted a double major in History and Economics since high school.
The two "are just subjects that I like," he said. "They were my favorite classes in high school."
According to DeTurck, the most popular major in the College is Economics, followed by English, History and International Relations.
And with more students heading to graduate school once they leave Penn, many choose majors that will equip them with the skills, like writing research papers, they'll need in the near future.
"Our majors are really successful in getting into graduate schools," English Department Undergraduate Chairwoman Emily Steiner said. "Once there, [students] say they do very well because they feel rhetorically empowered."
In addition to hosting the semi-annual Course and Majors Fair, the College holds dinners with alumni throughout the year to discuss possible career paths with prospective students.
