Letting Go to Grow
I came to Wesleyan knowing that I wanted to study Classical Studies and English, but as almost every freshman seems to learn, plans often change. I knew that I enjoyed translating Latin and Ancient Greek, reading literature, and writing creative pieces, so these two majors seemed like the perfect choice. I then started my Introduction to Archaeology course, and everything fell apart. Archaeology seemed to complement Classical Studies perfectly; in my Latin and Greek courses, I spent my time looking directly at the past and bringing it to the present, whereas with Archaeology, I was looking at present-day remains to interpret the past. It was still storytelling but with different means and methods.
I quickly decided that I would minor in Archaeology, though I began to question whether I should still double major in English; wanting to take advantage of Wesleyan’s open curriculum, I worried that concentrating in three subjects would prevent me from taking other classes outside my area of studies.
Letting go of English was difficult, especially since I had spent almost all my life excelling in it. I had to accept that being good at something isn’t the same as wanting to pursue it. There were many Classical Studies and Archaeology courses I wanted to take, but little excited me about the English major. I concluded that I would be happier reading and writing as a hobby instead of taking classes on Shakespeare and medieval literature. After deciding to treat English as a personal pastime, I’ve had the opportunity to take courses that still meet my interests without having to worry about fulfilling major requirements.
In the fall of my junior year, I realized that I wanted to pursue Archaeology as more than just a minor to complement my major in Classical Studies. For the previous two years, I had taken many Archaeology courses, telling myself that I was trying to efficiently meet all the minor requirements. But, as I began to think about what I wanted to actually do with my life, pathways related to the field came to mind. All along, I had been taking lots of Archaeology courses simply because I was interested in the subject, not because I was trying to finish the minor as quickly as possible.
Though the trajectory of my studies at Wesleyan wasn’t as I had originally planned, I am very satisfied with where it has ended up. I let go of something important to me, but in return, I learned how to integrate it into my life in different ways. It’s never too late to explore new fields and discover new passions.
