Cornell University boasts an extensive collection of academic offerings, featuring nearly 80 majors and over 120 minors. Cornell Human Ecology, in particular, offers eleven minors focused on enhancing the human experience. So whether you’re interested in fashion, fiber science, environmental design, nutrition, physical fitness, global health, gerontology, or public policy, there’s a program for you. But are minors actually worth it?
With so many unique opportunities available to them, students are often quick to declare minors. But committing to a minor early in your academic career can actually limit your exploration by restricting you to specific courses. Additionally, some students find that they were never really that interested in the minor they chose in their early years of college.
Many students find themselves pursuing minors for the wrong reasons: prestige, parental or peer pressure, and academic validation, for example. But despite popular belief, fulfilling a minor is not the be-all and end-all of college; it doesn’t make you a better student to do so. And it doesn’t show up on your diploma either.
As a freshman at Cornell, I felt both overwhelmed and excited by the wide range of opportunities available to me. However, by the first semester of college, it seemed as though everyone had already chosen a minor and mapped out their career path. Now a sophomore, I understand that everyone’s journey is different; just because some people feel that they have a clear direction doesn’t mean you have to have it all figured out too.
Entering college, you’re not expected to have your career goals figured out to a tee. What’s more important is that you’re open-minded to new experiences and educational outcomes. College is a time of exploration and self-discovery, so use the time to explore. You don’t need to limit yourself to a selection of courses to prove yourself to anyone.
And if after exploring Cornell’s diverse course roster you find a topic that really interests you, don’t be afraid to go all in! But you don’t need to feel pressured to do so. While minors serve to complement your educational journey, you may find that your academic career feels more worthwhile when you take supplemental courses simply for the sake of exploration and personal growth.
Moreover, many students end up meeting minor requirements inadvertently. So don’t stress if you don’t have your career path figured out (by the way, a lot of us don’t). Many students end up changing their career path in college and beyond, and no two students’ academic transcript will look exactly the same by the end of their college journey.
As a Career Assistant at the Career Exploration Center, my advice to you is to take courses that interest, challenge, and inspire you. Whether or not they fall under a specific minor is inconsequential. Don’t let the pressure of fulfilling a minor hold you back from exploring topics you’re interested in.