For decades, college students have been encouraged to pursue majors that align with intellectual interests and long-term goals.
While many students choose their major based on passion, others decide based on factors like projected salary, job demand and career longevity.
Through exploration, students attending Oakland University transition from academic exploration to passionate academic specializations. OU offers a comprehensive list of resources for students to explore nearly one hundred and twenty fields to major in.
At OU, Junior Matthew Colletti and senior Santi Santurtun selected their majors after exploring the university’s extensive range of academic programs. By learning more about the opportunities available, each discovered a field that matched their interests and ultimately developed a strong passion for their chosen area of study.
Colletti originally decided to pursue a major in exercise science, driven by a love of medicine. During this time, Colletti worked in a physical therapy clinic, where the hands-on experience reinforced a passion for patient care.
After working in the clinic, Colletti realized that attending medical school would be the ideal path for the future. Eventually, Colletti was granted the opportunity to shadow medical professionals. Witnessing professionals in action fostered a love for the medical field.
“I decided to shadow some doctors and nurses, and decided this was it for me,” Colletti said.
Inspired by this shadowing experience, Colletti decided to major in clinical and diagnostic sciences, with a concentration in pre-clinical professions, wanting to turn a passion for medicine into a career. Colletti values clinical and diagnostic sciences for fostering a passion for medicine while maintaining flexibility as a field of study.
Similar to Colletti, Santurtun found a major through experimentation at OU.
Santurtun initially developed a passion for math in high school, leading to experimenting with finance and engineering during college.
“I enjoyed the theoretical, proving things and discovering why things work,” Santurtun said.
Eventually, Santurtun chose to major in mathematics after exploring fields that sparked the strongest interest. Santurtun channels a love for mathematics into Oakland University’s Mathematics Student Society.
Santurtun believes that mathematicians pursue their careers out of a genuine passion for the field.
“The thing with math is you only do it if you love it,” Santurtun said.
Santurtun notes that some mathematicians do not receive fair wages, a factor that influenced the decision to minor in artificial intelligence. An interest in the field also contributed to this choice, as AI provides a stable backup career while still allowing continued engagement in other fields like mathematics.
“I just got really interested in it, even before it was really popular,” Santurtun said.
Artificial intelligence and mathematics are closely interconnected, providing Santurtun with career opportunities in fields that align with academic and professional interests.
After exploring fields of interest at OU, Colletti and Santurtun declared majors. For both students, passion was a driving force in selecting a major.
Students at Oakland University often defy the pressure to pick a major for a lucrative career, instead using campus resources to align academic pursuits with personal interests.
