What Should I Major In

In the end of the second semester, a fateful decision needs to be made, which matters a lot to all freshmen—choosing major. There are fourteen majors under the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and thus it will be a tough decision for everyone, especially for those who are indecisive. In order to make the wise choice, adequate considerations of personal and practical aspects are required. Hence, interest, strength and experience in the first year will be considered when I select major.

First of all, I place great emphasis on doing voluntary works. I was a member of Community and Volunteer Service Group for three years in secondary school. During those three years, I participated in a multitude of voluntary works such as cooking stuffed dumplings for the needy, making origami for a rummage sale, visiting the old and so on. I enjoy doing different kinds of voluntary works because of the sense of satisfaction that I gain from helping others. Among all the majors, Social Work would be suitable for me stems from my interest of being a volunteer. If I pick Social Work as my major, I will have stronger motivation for study because this field is what I am passionate about. Also, according to intended learning outcomes of major, social workers need to use communication skills differentially across colleagues, populations and communities. Involving voluntary works helped me learn to interact positively with a diverse population of people, all ages, races, and abilities. With these experiences, I have my communication and interpersonal skills improved. Therefore, this advantage boosts my confidence on studying Social Work. In short, Social Work suits me because of my tremendous enthusiasm for providing assistance to others.

Moreover, having strong social awareness is my strength. In HKDSE, I got 5* in Liberal Studies. I am good at analyzing multiple perspectives on contemporary as well as perennial issues in different contexts. The other major, Applied Sociology, emphasizes to address emerging challenges in the society and also examine social conditions to which the services respond. Applied Sociology not only requires students to be very familiar with social issues, but also to be able to think in distinct points of view. Due to the fact that I am more capable of studying contemporary issues in different perspectives, I will be fairly proficient at sociology. As a result of the exceptional ability of critical and independent thinking, it benefits me a lot for studying Applied Sociology.

Despite the fact that I have advantages in studying both Social Work and Applied Sociology, only one major should be chosen. Consequently, the practical experience is my consideration too. In the first semester, I have taken Individual and Society as one of my subjects. It allows me to have further comprehension of two majors. After having few lessons, I have realized that I hardly put myself into others’ shoes since I am a detached person. For Social Work, being too objective and emotionless prevents me from understanding the feelings of the needy so I may encounter difficulties in providing considerable assistance. By contrast, being a sociologist only needs to equip with sound knowledge on related theory and use social research methods to solve problems. The way of how sociologists work and think is more rational and methodic. Thus, the nature of sociologists tallies with my personality.

In a nutshell, after pondering over the three conditions, I believe that I should major in Applied Sociology. In spite of the interest of helping others, my ability and actual learning experience should outweigh my interest because they affect my school performance. Applied Sociology is reasonably proper to me by reason of my strength and individuality.