AR Rahman, an Oscar award-winning music composer from India, is one of my favorite celebrities. Many of his fans, including myself, refer to his songs as "slow poison". When I first listen to a new AR Rahman song, I find it confusing. When I listen to it again, I find some aspects of the song intriguing. Each time I listen to the song, I find myself more appreciative of the artistic genius and the mesmerizing techniques that are employed in the composition, instrumental music, and vocals of the song. Soon, I am addicted. In my experience, finding one's passion also works similarly. Rarely do people find themselves falling in love with a major at first glance. It takes time, persistence, and constant exposure.
Many people assume that finding a passion is like putting down the last piece of a puzzle; once they find the right major everything will be picture perfect. That is a lot of pressure to place on a single choice. In reality, finding the right major is simply one piece of an ever ongoing puzzle. In fact, there are multiple pieces that could fit in that area. I found my passion to be biochemistry, but I am confident that I would have fallen in love with any biology-based science.
The first step is to find a major that incorporates your interests. It can be helpful to look at what you enjoyed as a child, what you consider to be your strengths and what subjects fascinated you in school. When I chose my major, I looked back at five-year-old me playing in the backyard running experiments on earthworms and mixing "chemicals" together. I realized I should major in science: biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy, etc. Since I enjoyed biology and chemistry in high school, I decided to put down biology as my first choice and chemistry as my second. Then my dad suggested that I combine the two and put down biochemistry, and I did.
The second step is to let yourself fall in love. It is crucial to give yourself time. A genuine interest and desire to learn something does not happen overnight. In fact, for many people, it takes time merely to completely comprehend what a specific major entails. I did not know what precisely biochemistry was until the middle of my first upper-division biochemistry class in my third year of college. Had I dismissed it as confusing without giving myself time to fully grasp what it is, I would have never been able to experience how much I enjoy it. It is also vital to be persistent. Just like everything else in the world, no major is perfect. There are going to be parts of it that are horrifically annoying and/or difficult. I hated organic chemistry and even within biochemistry there are topics that I am not particularly fond of. Regardless, I knew that if I suffered through learning the mundane material, I would be able to learn about the fascinating biochemical topics such as enzyme kinetics, glycolysis, and DNA purification.
Falling in love with a major can be a beautiful thing. Let yourself feel the good, the bad, and everything in-between. Find the aspects of the major that make you happy. Constantly expose yourself to different parts of the major. Find the particular bits and pieces that make you go "WOW!". Let the "slow poison" work on you.
Many people assume that finding a passion is like putting down the last piece of a puzzle; once they find the right major everything will be picture perfect. That is a lot of pressure to place on a single choice. In reality, finding the right major is simply one piece of an ever ongoing puzzle. In fact, there are multiple pieces that could fit in that area. I found my passion to be biochemistry, but I am confident that I would have fallen in love with any biology-based science.
The first step is to find a major that incorporates your interests. It can be helpful to look at what you enjoyed as a child, what you consider to be your strengths and what subjects fascinated you in school. When I chose my major, I looked back at five-year-old me playing in the backyard running experiments on earthworms and mixing "chemicals" together. I realized I should major in science: biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy, etc. Since I enjoyed biology and chemistry in high school, I decided to put down biology as my first choice and chemistry as my second. Then my dad suggested that I combine the two and put down biochemistry, and I did.
The second step is to let yourself fall in love. It is crucial to give yourself time. A genuine interest and desire to learn something does not happen overnight. In fact, for many people, it takes time merely to completely comprehend what a specific major entails. I did not know what precisely biochemistry was until the middle of my first upper-division biochemistry class in my third year of college. Had I dismissed it as confusing without giving myself time to fully grasp what it is, I would have never been able to experience how much I enjoy it. It is also vital to be persistent. Just like everything else in the world, no major is perfect. There are going to be parts of it that are horrifically annoying and/or difficult. I hated organic chemistry and even within biochemistry there are topics that I am not particularly fond of. Regardless, I knew that if I suffered through learning the mundane material, I would be able to learn about the fascinating biochemical topics such as enzyme kinetics, glycolysis, and DNA purification.
Falling in love with a major can be a beautiful thing. Let yourself feel the good, the bad, and everything in-between. Find the aspects of the major that make you happy. Constantly expose yourself to different parts of the major. Find the particular bits and pieces that make you go "WOW!". Let the "slow poison" work on you.
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