3/24/03

Hello! My name is Heidi Lynch. I am a first-year student in the Schreyer Honors College and am currently enrolled in the Division of Undergraduate Studies. For the next few years, I'll be writing a dispatch every few months to record my progress as I try to choose a major and a career path. Through these updates, I hope to give you some insight into the student perspective of the advising process. In short, I'll try to keep you informed of the challenges and successes I encounter as I attempt to answer the question that underscores everything I do here at Penn State: what am I going to do with my life?

I'll tell you a bit about myself to fill you in on how I got here. I'm from Mt. Lebanon, a town just outside of Pittsburgh, where I live with my twin brother, Patrick, and my parents. For fun, I love hanging out with family and friends, listening to music, running, reading, and traveling. In high school, I worked hard in academics and was involved in many activities, including German Club, student council, and the school's chapter of Amnesty International. In the classroom, I was most interested in the English, history, and German classes I took. When it came time to choose a college, I ultimately settled on Penn State (and its Schreyer Honors College) for its outstanding reputation, great location, and excellent opportunities for international study and travel. When I finally arrived here in August, I was very excited and surprisingly well-prepared to handle the college workload, schedule, and lifestyle. College life has been fantastic so far, just as I had hoped. But one thing continues to nag me despite this enthusiasm—I still don't know for sure what I want to do here. I do, however, have a fairly firm grasp on what my interests, talents, and goals are. I think that's a pretty good place to start.

So what are these interests and ambitions? I've always had a fervent interest in history, culture, and language, both American and foreign. I find it fascinating to study the currents of change and repetition in human society through time. History, literature, politics, international relations, foreign language, art, and cultural expression are the things I love to be immersed in and surrounded by. I want to find a profession that somehow relates to these fields. I also hope to find a career which takes advantage of my strengths: effective writing and speaking skills, an awareness of the world around me, and an aptitude for interacting with others. So, keeping in mind these interests and talents, I've considered a number of careers to this point.

I've been told that the secret to fulfillment and success in a career is to find the thing you love to do and get paid for it. International business, law, journalism, teaching, or politics have been the options I've gravitated most strongly toward. I've tried to explore some of these fields through my course selection at Penn State. Even though I've only been here a few months, I've learned a bit already about what I'd like to continue studying and what I'd like to leave behind. From my freshman business seminar and microeconomics class, for example, I've decided that I don't think a business major would be right for me. Nonetheless, I think I'd like to take a few more business classes. In other areas of study, I've really enjoyed my German language and culture classes. After considering what I learned from these experiences, I've decided to major in German with a Business option. Luckily, I have already fulfilled many of the requirements for this major through AP credits and my first semester of classes. However, I also want to double major in another area. What this second major might be, though, I'm not sure. History, political science, or English are some possibilities. I'm trying to keep my eyes open for classes that spark my interest, talking regularly with my adviser, and chatting with relatives and other acquaintances whose jobs might interest me. All in all, I'm confident that I will eventually find the major and career path that's right for me. In any case, though, I'm thoroughly enjoying the search.

—hjl