I am a junior in the College of Arts and Sciences at Rutgers—Camden. I am double majoring in Health Sciences and Psychology. I am currently taking Experimental Psychology, Medical Sociology, Introduction to the Bible, and General Organic Biochemistry II.
Experimental Psych is a requirement of a Psychology major and Organic Biochemistry is a requirement of my Health Sciences degree, but being a double major doesn’t mean I have to take double the amount of classes. For example, my Medical Sociology and Introduction to the Bible courses are electives which ‘double dip’ and can count towards both degrees. Rutgers—Camden has many electives to choose from. I choose Medical Sociology because I’ve always had an interest in sociology, and now I can take a class that focuses on the medical and health aspects of sociology. I chose a Bible class because I’ve never taken a religion course in my entire life and I wanted to try new things.
Before college, I had always wondered what kind of classes I would be taking and what they would entail. I’ve learned that every class I’ve taken has shared the same goal of getting me ready to be my best self after college with the degree I earn. Some important classes for Health Sciences and Psychology include Introduction to Health Sciences, Method and Theory in Psychology and Statistics for Social Sciences. In Introduction to Health Sciences we talk about the different laws and legislation pertaining to health and other fun topics. That class was my absolute favorite because we talked about topics that are relevant to the world today. These classes teach you how to conduct proper experiments that could better humanity. My program is basically a compilation of all the sciences – mathematics, biology, social science as well as physical sciences.
I wanted to do Health Sciences because of the broad range of careers and opportunities it offers me after I graduate. Many Health Sciences majors go on to Physical Therapy Schools as well as dentistry, podiatry and other types of doctorates. A Health Sciences major does not restrict you to medical schools, but can also offer something in the law profession, more specifically health law.
I also chose Psychology because it interests me very much and I’ve always wanted to learn more about the field. The classes I’ve taken in Psychology include Child Psychology and Experimental Psychology. These classes are really interesting because you can learn something new almost every day. Next year I plan on taking Psychology of Consciousness which I am really excited for. There are multiple different Psychology courses you can take and I can guarantee you that they are all interesting in their own ways. College is about doing what you love and that’s why I chose Psychology.
My Health Sciences and Psychology degrees from Rutgers—Camden will help me be the best person I can be after I graduate. They are preparing me for my future goals. I originally wanted to do the Accelerated Nursing Program after I graduate, but now I am looking into an Occupational Therapy program.
You may have a set goal or idea in mind when you come into college, but you may not always end up where you had originally planned, and that’s totally fine! That’s one of the benefits of the Health Sciences program — it’s so broad that if you decide to change your major later, it won’t be too big of an adjustment. It’s important to take this time to explore interests so when you move on to build a career, it is one you are truly passionate about. If you’re interested in science or the medical field, but are looking to keep your future options open, then I highly recommend the Health Sciences program.
I am proud to be a Health Sciences and Psychology double major and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for me.
Written by Philip E., a Rutgers—Camden Undergraduate Student and Raptor Ambassador.