From The Hill to the Real World: Majors and Careers

Kristina Yarovinsky '18, Features Editor

As Hopkins seniors reach the end of their high school career, they are faced with many opportunities to pursue their interests. Starting with selecting college majors, seniors will soon begin their journeys towards selecting a career. The Razor asked seniors what majors they were considering for college. Seventy-two seniors replied, showing a diverse range of interests in every field of study. Here is a look at what seniors have in mind regarding college majors and career choices.

Health and Medicine proved to be the most popular major, claiming 14.6% of the responses. Students indicated a variety of reasons for selecting this major, but many based their choices on personal experiences. Rebecca Lee ’16 said, “Seeing some close family members get sick and seeing others get better showed me how powerful good patient care can be.”

Some respondents explained that studying Health and Medicine would be the most helpful to the community. Grant Hill ’16 said, “Illness led me to deeply appreciate the positive influence a doctor can have on the lives of others. This experience led me to understand that being a doctor is the avenue through which I can do the most personal good in the world.”

Others attributed their interest to previously-acquired skills. David Wisdom ’16 explained that all the First Aid he did in Boy Scouts influenced his decision.

Claiming the spot as the second most popular major, Technology and Engineering was selected by 13.9% of the respondents. This major included a wide range of interests from computer programming to designing outer space technology.

Emily Malison ’16 said, “The first time I learned programming, I coded a Harry Potter quiz game and I just knew that I loved it!” Kami Chin ’16 said that summer internships and science classes at Hopkins influenced her decision.

Some other popular majors included Humanities, Science, and Mathematics. Thomas Halvorsen ’16 said, “Going to places like Palestine and Nicaragua made me realize that traveling the world and meeting new people is what I want to do in life above all else.” Devika Das ’16 said that her work at a Yale Environmental Lab this summer generated her fascination with living things. Other respondents mentioned that classes at Hopkins--especially Math and Physics classes--helped develop their interests in the respective subject.

The “Other” category claimed 8.2% of respondents and encompassed many diverse interests. Some of these included psychology, linguistics, neuroscience, game design, international studies, history, education, philosophy, and creative writing.

Lauren Antonelli ’16 said, “I’ve wanted to be on “Saturday Night Live” since I was in fourth grade. Obviously I’m not super shooting for that anymore, but that’s kind of stuck with me and I really want to do some type of comedy writing, whether that be for TV, theater, literature, film, or stand-up.” Allison Weiss commented on her interest in game design: “I just love games. I see them as the single art form that can really make the viewer feel something genuine.”

The Razor also asked seniors what careers they were considering after college. Once again, the respondents selected a diverse range of careers. Health and Medicine tied with Business for most popular career option, each claiming 16.3% of the respondents. Technology and Engineering and Law and Government followed close behind.

Although it was one of the smallest categories, the “Other” group displays some of the seniors’ most unique interests. Some responses from this category included education, agriculture, comedy writing, consulting, and government agency work. Miles Lourenco ’16 said, “I’ve always wanted to join the military, and I think doing that through Intelligence Studies and ROTC is a good way.”

Whatever the seniors choose for their future major and career, it is clear that they will continue to be hopeful youths!

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From The Hill to the Real World: Majors and Careers