“I’m a Western major!” I say excitedly whenever someone asks about my second major.
“Huh?” is the typical response. It’s crazy to know that the reason I came to Miami University is completely unknown to some of my peers.
The Western major, also known as individualized studies, is a program where you pick what you want to learn. Commonly called the “create your own major” major, Western allows you to cherry-pick classes from different subjects and tie them all into one interest. For someone who loves learning, it’s perfect.
When I was a senior in high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do in college. I had thrown out the idea of a lawyer after a junior year courtroom internship, and I was floating in the wind. I didn’t even think I was going to Miami – I was pretty sold on the idea of attending Ohio University.
As a weird, gay, humanities kid, I was told that I just wouldn’t fit in at Miami and everyone was too normal. I believed this until my cousin told me to look into the Western Program. My dad and I ditched a Miami tour halfway through to meet with Zach Hill, the main advisor for the program, all the way in Peabody Hall. I didn’t really like the main campus, but I fell in love with Western.
Zach’s office is where I decided to attend Miami, specifically to be a Western major. It was suddenly OK that I didn’t know what I wanted to do, because I had the freedom to do whatever. It took away the anxiety of being undecided, because I could count classes that I took for fun towards my major – and that’s what I did. During my first year, I was one of two incoming Western majors (shoutout Abby). I started the fall semester with a history class, because I loved that subject in high school, and I only fell more in love in college. That professor even asked me to take his history capstone the next semester because he liked my work. Even though I had already fulfilled my history requirement, I could fit the class into my schedule because of Western.
I continued to do this every semester up until now, my senior year. Every semester at registration, I think to myself, “What do I want to learn next?” and I get to take whatever class that is.
It is so rewarding to learn for the sake of learning.
The program has eight Western-specific classes, all catered to the fact that everyone in the major is doing something different. We cover big concepts like IRB-certified research or general theory, and students can apply these concepts to their own interests in class. I’m actively looking forward to writing my 40+ page senior project on the Alt-Right Pipeline next semester because it is absolutely fascinating to me. Throughout the program, I have been supported in doing human research and academic analysis, and I love that.
Being in such a small program allows for great connections. I have one-on-one conversations with my professors and advisors weekly, and they know me and care about my life, not just the work I’m doing for my major – they’re people I genuinely look forward to talking to. Peabody even comes with its own student center, which you can visit me in!
Being a Western major is my favorite part about being at Miami. I’ve gotten to experience so many things and learn so much that I feel qualified to take on any history career from professor to museum docent. I want everyone to get this opportunity, and I encourage you to check it out for yourself.
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Gina Roth is a senior majoring in individualized studies and journalism from Springfield, Ohio. She is an undergraduate assistant for Journalism 101 honors, a barista at King Cafe and a Western Center student worker. Her focus is popular history and its effect on society and politics.
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