Hello Scholars,
First off, the Fantastic Four would like to welcome everyone to Interdisciplinary Studies Corner Stone! Please give yourself a round of applause because you are one step closer to graduating and achieving your goals. More importantly, praise yourself once more because (*drum roll*) you’re blessed with the greatest mentors of all time.
All joke aside, welcome everyone. It is our distinct pleasure to have you all as our mentees. Over the next several weeks we will be discussing a wide array of topics ranging from networking to performance art.
Without further due, My name is Marley Jay and I am going to be one of your four mentors that are going to walk this five week journey with you. To give you more insight into my brain, I was born and raised in Kerala, India in 1990. I love the arts, I am an Aquarius, and I believe that everything in life is an experience. I am 21 years old and extremely close to ending my chapter at one of the finest schools in Florida. I’m graduating with a track in commerce and communication and with minors in mass communication, marketing and leadership studies.
*The other three mentors, Caitlin, Michael, and Valentin will be joining us throughout the blog this week. To get a brief description about them, click on their names located on the right of this page. *
Let’s turn it over to the floor and hear from all of you…
Introduce yourself to the group, including your name, areas of study and minor, what year this is for you at UCF. Do you have goals after graduation? How do you explain IDS to others, and what do you think the advantages and disadvantages are to an interdisciplinary education?
We look forward to your responses!
- Marley Jay
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ReplyDeleteHi, my name is Ashley Kroft but I do go by Ashka when there are multiple Ashley's. I'm studying Psychology, Education (for physical therapy), and minor in dance and possibly theater. This is my first year at UCF, I'm a transfer student from Valencia College. After graduation I plan on moving to California to pursue performing arts. I explain IDS as me building my own major with several different interests. I don't have to make up my mind now I can take my time and figure out what I want to do with my life by experimenting and learning.
ReplyDeleteI am also doing physical therapy and I used to be a competative dancer. Psychology is also something I love to study. Right now I am in motivational psychology online , if you ever need an upper level interesting psyc class I would highly recommend it! Good luck with your dreams!
DeleteNice to have you with us Ashka. How do people react to your explanation?
DeleteAshka-
DeleteI am also a dance minor here at UCF! Are u participating in the Dance Concert in April?
I like your style, i feel the same way anything could happen between now and graduation so we can't be for sure of what we will want in the future. Hahaha. Have you ever been to California? Ive always wanted to go.
DeleteStrahonsolo: People react to my explanation by telling me "good job" and "your still young, you can figure it out" those responses get to me sometimes.
DeleteNicole: i will not be participating in the dance concert unfortunately. are you?
Why do those responses get to you? Are you worried about what others think about the path you have chosen? I tell people, with my areas in commerce and communication, that my areas complement each other so I’ll be a more effective manager. I say, “What good is business knowledge if you can’t articulate you’re thoughts to those you’re managing”. May be you could come up with a way to explain to people how your areas will work together in a given field. Perhaps because you understand the psychology of injury you will be more effective at treating the patient? Try not to worry to much about what others think, only you can make decisions that are best for you.
Delete@ Ashka: Hello! Your in motivational psychology? I love anything that has to do with the cognitive. Is that really a good class, because a lot of online classes are a little tedious. I would honestly consider taking the class if you said it was good though. And thats great that you were a competitive dancer. Thats something you don't hear too often.
DeleteAnd I like what you said about experimenting and finding out what you want to do with your life. If there is one advice I could give you is that you should start internships early. Thats something I wish I had done earlier. We can learn so many different things in a class room but when you get to the real world is a whole different ball game. I love that your proactive and trying to find out what you want to do, when I was a sophomore, I was waiting for somebody to tell me which track would be best for me. Good for you Ashka ! If you need any advice about internships just let one of us know! Thats what were hear for :)
Hey everyone! My name is Amanda Coultas and my fields of study are biomedical sciences, physical sciences, and I am earning a minor in psychology. This is my first year at UCF, I transfered in the Summer 2011 from USF with my AA in management. After graduation, I am going to apply for Physical Therapy school so that I can get my doctorate, and after that and I am established I would like to go back to school to get a doctorate in psychology to be able to work with trama patients to help them both mentally and physically.
ReplyDeleteWhen I explain IDS to others I tell them that it is where I get to make my own major. It is something that puts me ahead so that I can focus on what I really need to better my education for Physical Therapy school. I think there are great advantages because you get to diversify yourself in what you study and still get the major you need.
Sounds like you'll be able to treat the whole patient. Dr. Fisher here at UCF is a sports psychologist, he says that his patients have a hard time returning after injury and that's why they see him. Do you think combining physical and mental rehabilitation will make for faster recoveries? better recoveries?
DeleteYes!!! That is exactly what I am hoping for. I tore my ACL and meniscus two years ago and it took a lot to recovery and I know he hard it is, so anything to make it faster and easier for the patients!
DeleteDo you think you will specialize in sport psychology? I would recommend talking with Dr. Fisher or better taking one of his classes. He is a real character; tells great stories and is a great teacher.
DeleteI am also getting a minor in psychology. I think its awesome that you want to work with trama patients, most people dont want that job but its great that you havew the drive to do that. It sounds like you have your life all figured out!
DeleteI'm impressed with the areas you've chosen to focus on. I tried those fields and even had similar goals, but I eventually came to the conclusion that it wasn't neccessarily for me. Physical therapy is a wonderful field to get into, and there will always be a need for therapists. Your desire to work with trauma patients is highly admirable, and I wish you all the best in your studeis!
Delete@ Amanda: Honestly, I can't even lie to you, I know nothing about the fields that your interested in. It sounds challenging but very worth it! I love psychology though. What class in psychology do you think you learned the most interesting material in? I want to take some to understand the mind a little bit more.
DeleteAnd thats great that you want to help people :) I do also. Is there a reason why you chose that specific track?
By the way :: I'm from Tampa and USF has a great med program I heard.
DeleteI liked your explanation of Interdisciplinary studies, mine is somewhat similar but I think its a good way to give people who dont know a broad understanding.
DeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Joni Fletcher and my IDS focuses are Communications and Letters and Foreign Languages, with a minor in sociology. I am currently in my junior year of school. After graduation I hope to pursue a career as a writer. I aspire to write for magazines and be an author. When I'm asked about IDS I've learned what to say to help people understand and be more accepting of the major. I usually say my major is Interdisciplinary Studies with a focus in Communications and Creative writing. I don't say "letters and foreign languages" because that means nothing to 98% of people, so since I've chosen to take quite a few writing classes with that focus it has made it a lot easier to tell people my focuses are communication and creative writing. I think the advantages to IDS is that it gives you so much room to explore whatever area you are interested in, that's why I chose this major. I can take classes that interest me. However, I think the biggest disadvantage to being in IDS is the lack of understanding from people who aren't familiar with IDS, but at the end of the day this major is what's best for me and it's not my problem if other people don't understand it or think it's not equivalent to having a degree in a more known field, for example psychology, education, or accounting.
Your major sound very exciting! I would love to be able to have people rad my work everyday, because you know your making a difference. My worst subject is writting but to some people it is very fun and expressive. Best of luck!
DeleteI can see by your writing and your style that you enjoy the written word. With an area in foreign language does this mean you speak and/or write in another. Who would you like to write for? What publication and what audience?
DeleteAmanda- Thanks! The best part of the whole writing process is having other people read my work, so I definitely hope it makes a huge difference one day!
DeleteStrahonsolo- I do not speak or write in another language. I don't really have a specific audience I desire to cater to, I kind of want to write for a number of publications which I'm sure will target different audiences. I would like to write for Life&Style or Essence, but I'm very open at this point :)
are Life&Style and Essence the two publications that you read the most? What do you think about the future of print media. Will digital take over and put print into the history books?
Delete@ Joni: Hello! Wait communication and letters? Now that in its self sounds creative. What exactly is that course though?
DeleteThats a very specific goal you had in mind:) Have you ever looked into public relations firms or interning with them? They write a lot of print material for magazines and news papers. I interned at one, it was a great experience. Let me know if you would like to know more about PR. They love creative writers like yourself!
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ReplyDeleteHi everyone! My name is Nicole, but a lot of my friends call me Nikki. I am a junior here at UCF, but it is only my second year here at UCF; I am a transfer student from New World School of the Arts in Miami, Florida. My areas of study are behavioral and social sciences, fitness training through the College of Education, and I also have a focus in art and I am minoring in Dance. I also have aminor in magazine journalism. I am not exactly sure where I see myself after graduation, but I know that I want to be wokring with the arts in some way and I also want to be happy doing whatever it is that I do. I explain IDS to others by telling them that I major in "life." IDS is a way to cover all of your bases for a career field in which you want to work in. I tell them that I choose three areas of focus and I build my own major to meet my needs as an individual. I think that there are several advantages to being an IDS major. Number one: your degree is completely catered to you from your class schedule, to internships and even goals. You choose which direction you want to take. Number two: being an IDS major allows students to explore different areas of focus is which they enjoy or excel at, and number three: being an IDS major allows students to approach their future career path with many different skills. However, although there are so many positives there are also a few negatives as well. I think one of the biggest negatives is that it is hard for some students, like myself, to find a clear cut path towards the future. However, overall, I think changing my major to IDS is one of the best decisions I have ever made and I could not be happier.
ReplyDeleteWelcome aboard Nikki. I agree that the IDS degree program prepares you for life. It sounds like with your areas of behavior & social science, fitness training and art, with the dance and magazine minors, I might think you would write for a fitness journal. Being able to show how our behavior and culture affects our fitness levels and how to train people to meet their full potential. I wouldn’t worry to much about finding that clear cut path. Like Baz Luhrman said in a famous commencement speech, “Don’t feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people
DeleteI know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives; some of the most interesting 40 year
olds I know still don't.”
I never thought about incorporating my areas of focus to pursue writing for a fitness journal, but I do like how that sounds! I will definitely look into that. Also, I was discussing with other friends who at UCF about life after we graduate and I have pretty much come to the conclusion that I am not a one career path type of person. I actually see myself doing several different things and pursuing several different careers throughout my life. I really love the quote too!
DeleteNikki I agree that it is hard to get a clear cut career path. Its just hard to imagine where we will be in a few ideas. the real world seems so big.
DeleteHi Nikki! Im also a dance minor and a fitness minor. I agree that I too dont know what path I want to take just as long as I'm doing something creative and in the arts I'll be happy. That's why I'm trying to perform as much as I can now and to see if I can make it as a performance artist and then figure it out from there. Are you taking any dance classes this semester?
Delete@ nikki: HEY Nikki! You know whats funny, I'm about to graduate and I still have no definite path on what to do in life. I was waiting for so long to have an vision on what career path I wanted to proceed in, and I learned that I was waiting around and nothing was changing. I took an internship last semester and it was one of the best choices I made, the most important lesson was that it taught me that I didn't want to go into public relations. I wish I did that earlier at my UCF life. This summer I'm planning to take an internship in Washington D.C. Really, internships are great for your resume and if your like me and don't know a definite path, it will give you insight on at least if you want to venture down that road.
Delete@Ashley- this semester I'm doing an independent study in modern with Mrs. Judi and I'm also doing dance concert. Are u doing dance concert?
DeleteHey! My name is Hailey Barraco and I am a junior here at UCF. I transfered from St. Petersburg College so this is my first year here. My areas are behavioral social science and business and my minors are psychology and criminal justice. I explain IDS as doing part of two majors and together you get a degree. I like IDS because if you do not know what you want to do with your career you can take classes in the areas you are interested in and still get a degree. The only thing that I am worried about with IDS is if a company will look down on this degree becasue it is a liberal arts degree. I plan on getting a degree in criminal justice and then starting my own family.
ReplyDeleteI am also a transfer student here at UCF! How do you like it so far? Also, I work for the UCF Foundation and we call alumni and update them about the school and what not. I have talked to several alumni who have their degrees in IDS and have had no problem finding jobs and some of them even say that employers preferred that they had an IDS degree because they had training in several different areas. So, you should be fine! Anyways, welcome to UCF!
DeleteWelcome to UCF. I also was worried about how companies would look at an IDS degree but i talked to a few people who work in these big companies and they said it actually is better than a regular degree because you will be experienced in two or more fields rather just one field. Hearing that made me feel better about the IDS degree, Good Luck. : )
DeleteHailey,
DeleteI totally share your concern with the fact that some companies may view an IDS degree as a liberal arts degree, and thus not as valuable to an employer. My hope is that as part of this class, we will create a resume that teaches us to showcase the strenghts that our IDS program has allowed us to cultivate and create, thus defeating the idea that IDS is simply "the quickest way out" of UCF. Criminology sounds really interesting... Good luck with your sudies in the coming semester!
I was worried about the IDS degree as well when I was looking to change majors. One thing that eased my fears was the fact that of all the people I know, only three work in the same field they majored in. Most employes just what you to have gone through the college experience and had the drive to make it through. How many people decide the first major wasn't the right one and just stopped going to college. I was one of those, and it has shaped my life ever since.
DeleteHailey- I think most IDS majors worry about companies looking down on their degree, but I do think it's becoming more acceptable. I know were working on resumes next week and I feel that your experience will speak volumes over your degree being in Liberal Arts. There's plenty of successful people who don't have a degree, so consider yourself still ahead of the game :)
Delete@ Hailey: Hello Hailey ! I think we all get where your coming from, that employers look at IDS as a broad field. To be honest I still have that as a fear, but the thing that makes me better is that IDS might just look a little skeptical on paper. I am a personable person that works extremely hard, so once I get in to the interview, I know that my personality and motivation would shine past what the employer seen on paper. Plus, I can also tell the employers how well rounded I am. Most people that are skeptical because they just heard about IDS.
Delete@Nicole: i love UCF so far and I'm so glad to hear that having this degree did not effect them when trying to find a job.
Delete@Hailey, SPC is right in my home town! I live in the Seminole area. I hope you like it here I am also a transfer student and know things can be a little overwhelming here. Good Luck!!
Delete@Hailey, I also worry about if future jobs will look negatively at my degree because it is similar to liberal arts
DeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Anita Schmidt and I am a sophomore here at UCF. My areas of study are commerce, psychology and I am getting a minor in health sciences. After graduation I hope to move back home to Australia and continue to study focusing more on nutrition, dietetics and public health promotion. One day I would love to make a significant impact in the fight against childhood obesity. When I explain IDS to people I like to call it a “mix and match your own major” I see it as combining subject I enjoy and studying how they relate to each other, and how I can use them together in my future career. Some advantages of an IDS major is being able to do what you love and relating them to each other, we also have so many options to explore. Some disadvantages are trying to explain the major and what carriers that may lead me to. I really enjoy being an IDS major and the opportunities it has given me to learn different fields of study.
Ive never been to Australia before but I really want to go!!! Thats a good way to describe IDS because people never know what you're talking about when you say IDS. I think its great that you want to join the fight against childhood obesity, goodluck!!!
DeleteI would love to go to Australia! I’m considering doing my research project on childhood obesity. What do you think is the greatest cause? Is it a major issue in Australia as it is here? I look forward to talking to you about this in the coming days.
Delete@ Anita : Thats a great long term aspiration. What made you want to choose that as a career path? When did you come from Australia? Let us know, if the obesity issue in Australia is as great as it here. I'm interested !
Delete@ Strahonsolo and Marley Jay:
DeleteI think that obesity is a problem in most developed countries, and it is certainly an issue in Australia. I think we are ranked number 6 in the highest percentage of the population that is obese. I came from Australia in 2010 (so i am just here for collage), and i am finding it very interesting to see the differences between each countries approach to tackling the obesity issue.
What are the major differences in the approaches? How does physical education fit into Australia's approach. I think the fact that children here are allowed to opt out of P.E. is an injustice. I also think testing results are too much of everyone's focus, but they don't seem to realize the effect physical activity on children's cognitive abilities.
DeleteThats very interesting! How do you like United States so far? How do Australians view Americans? I took a class in intercultural communication and found it to be very interesting. What is the biggest difference in America from Australia?
DeleteHi everyone!
ReplyDeleteMy name is Rachel Fogel and I am a Junior here at UCF. I started off my Undergraduate career looking to persue a degree that would set me up to apply to either a Professional Health Masters program (i.e. Nurse Practitioner or Physicians Assistant) or even a Medical Degree program. After two long, hard years of work, I decided that even though I had a great passion for science and medicine, I didn't have the necessary apptitude to succeed on such a pathway.
In order to graduate on time, without having to lose so many credit hours, I chose to declare myself as an Interdisciplanary Studies student. Now, I am a Health Sciences minor, with a focus on Interpersonal Organization and Communication and Behavioral Sciences.
I'm not exactly sure as to what I want to do after I graduate with my IDS degree from UCF, but I do know that I want to get some type of Masters Degree.
To me, IDS means that I can pick and choose the areas of education that I believe will be most beneficial to me as an employee, and in general as a responsible adult. I try to explain IDS as a degree that allows me to build my own program with the help of academic advisors. I think that the multitude of experiences the we as IDS students are exposed to is definitely a benefit, but that the difficulty of explaining our IDS degree is a drawback to the degree program.
Rachel, I like the way you explain your IDS major. I think i am in the same bat with not having the aptitide for science and medicine, but some time now im sure im going to have to bite the bullet and take some harder classes. lol. good luck with your future indevers they sound great!!
DeleteHi Rachel, the way you describe your IDS major is well put. I normally say that IDS is a degree where you build your own major which is pretty much what you said. I eventually want to get my Masters Degree in something as well and I figured that with an IDS degree you have different pathways towards that Masters in whatever you/we may choose. Good luck in the future!
DeleteGlad to have you with us Rachel. There are so many other medical related jobs than nurses and physician’s assistance in the medical field. It sounds like you might work well as an adviser or counselor to patents in the hospital. Also with your areas you might look into the billing side of medical; they seem to me that they are tailor made to fit.
Delete@ Rachel: Hello there ! Everyone always starts out in the same page, not knowing where they want to go. Today I went to a career planning class at UCF! It was so insightful, that course could help you figure out what you want to do. Myplan.com has all the careers that we can choose in a major and they also have the salaries and the rank ! Its a great tool to start at!
DeleteHi my name is Jacqui, I am a Junior at UCF, Of coarse, I'm also an IDS major and a marketing minor. After graduation i would like to work in the fashion industry as a fashion marketer. I think that a degree in IDS is better than a regular degree because you gain experience in different areas and you can combine them to work together.
ReplyDeleteHello Jacqui, welcome to our little group. Please tell us you areas of study.
DeleteHello Jacqui! That's a great aspiration! I'm a marketing minor as well, and its a great course. My father is in the fashion industry, he works as the quality assurance manager at Chico's. So he travels to China and India to observe the factories and inspect the work ethics as well as the quality of clothing.
DeleteI was thinking of going into the same field as a retail manager. What exactly are your areas of study ?
Introduce yourself to the group, including your name, areas of study and minor, what year this is for you at UCF. Do you have goals after graduation? How do you explain IDS to others, and what do you think the advantages and disadvantages are to an interdisciplinary education?
ReplyDeleteHello my name is Ashley Parrinello, my areas of study are Health and Physical Sciences with a minor in Sociology. This is technically my second year at UCF but I am a transfer from FAU so this is my fourth (and final...yay!) year in college, I plan on graduating this fall. I play soccer for the University and I plan on going to paramedic and fire school after I graduate. I explain interdisciplinary studies to people as basically a double major with a minor because I want to learn multiple areas of study and not just one. I think there are advantages to interdisciplinary studies to those who, like me, share an interest in more than one subject. I think its also advantageous for those arent exactly sure what they want to concentrate and they can explore their options. I think on the other side though, it can also be a disadvantage for some because it has such a wide variety of options that it may be overwhelming for some.