- by Emma Maskell -
The last time that I wrote a blog post about my major, I was still undeclared. I was in my second semester of freshman year and had some ideas of what I wanted to do. Now, 10 months later, I am a junior social work major, starting my field placement, with a minor in sociology — a big jump. It has been an amazing experience and transition.
I entered Naz as a freshman with no concrete idea of what I wanted to do. By starting out as undeclared, I was able to explore my interests, strengths, and numerous different majors. In the introduction course for social work, I knew that I had found my life’s work. In that course, SWK 222, I was able to learn what a social worker is and what the profession’s fundamentals are. I always knew that I wanted to help people, to make a difference in the world. Social work seemed to be the answer for me.
I love that it is such a wide profession; you can be a part of so many different things. You can work in hospitals, schools, law, advocacy, mental health — and the list goes on and on. I love how you can move throughout the field from one area to another.
Junior year, field placement is a requirement for all social work majors: six hours a week, totaling 72 hours for the semester. I am absolutely loving my placement at UR Medicine Home Care. I am so grateful that Nazareth social work majors are able to do two field placements, one junior year and one senior year. I feel that it makes us more prepared and experienced for our future.
It was a shock when my advisor told me that I was able to graduate a full year earlier than anticipated. I was originally supposed to graduate in the class of 2025 with my undergraduate degree. But I moved up to the class of 2024, thanks to college-credit courses that I took in high school. My high school was very small and did not offer any Advanced Placement courses. What they did offer was a plentiful amount of college courses, and I took a semester’s worth during my senior year of high school.
By starting as an undeclared major, I could take more Perspectives-Enduring Questions (P-EQ) classes to explore what I want to pursue. By the end of freshman year, I had completed all of my P-EQ courses. My advisor was very helpful, talking to me about my options. I decided to graduate early because I want to go to graduate school for social work and now can complete this quicker.
I am so thankful for all the resources that Nazareth has for students. I felt so supported the entire time being undeclared to making my decision about my major. If you have any questions about majors, minors or opportunities do not hesitate to reach out to your academic advisor or your career coach!
