Close Menu
The Baylor Lariat
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube LinkedIn
    Trending
    • Students react to emergency alert following campus lockdown
    • Baylor shelter-in-place lifted following police pursuit of robbery suspects
    • Baylor graduate charged after killing cats with pellet gun, hanging bodies over utility lines
    • Baylor Football’s Alex Foster dies at 18
    • Board of Regents confirms budget, renovations, new leadership in May meeting
    • How facilities responds to storms, flooding in campus buildings
    • Welcome Week leaders now paid in hopes of increasing numbers
    • 5 Baylor sports storylines to look forward to in 2025-26
    • About us
      • Spring 2025 Staff Page
      • Copyright Information
    • Contact
      • Contact Information
      • Letters to the Editor
      • Subscribe to The Morning Buzz
      • Department of Student Media
    • Employment
    • PDF Archives
    • RSS Feeds
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube LinkedIn
    The Baylor LariatThe Baylor Lariat
    Subscribe to the Morning Buzz
    Sunday, July 6
    • News
      • State and National News
        • State
        • National
      • Politics
        • 2025 Inauguration Page
        • Election Page
      • Homecoming Page
      • Baylor News
      • Waco Updates
      • Campus and Waco Crime
    • Arts & Life
      • Wedding Edition 2025
      • What to Do in Waco
      • Campus Culture
      • Indy and Belle
      • Sing 2025
      • Leisure and Travel
        • Leisure
        • Travel
          • Baylor in Ireland
      • Student Spotlight
      • Local Scene
        • Small Businesses
        • Social Media
      • Arts and Entertainment
        • Art
        • Fashion
        • Food
        • Literature
        • Music
        • Film and Television
    • Opinion
      • Editorials
      • Points of View
      • Lariat Letters
    • Sports
      • March Madness 2025
      • Football
      • Basketball
        • Men’s Basketball
        • Women’s Basketball
      • Soccer
      • Baseball
      • Softball
      • Volleyball
      • Equestrian
      • Cross Country and Track & Field
      • Acrobatics & Tumbling
      • Tennis
      • Golf
      • Pro Sports
      • Sports Takes
      • Club Sports
    • Lariat TV News
    • Multimedia
      • Video Features
      • Podcasts
        • Don’t Feed the Bears
      • Slideshows
    • Advertising
    The Baylor Lariat
    Home»Opinion

    Dear STEM majors: Branch out into the humanities

    Jenna FitzgeraldBy Jenna FitzgeraldApril 11, 2023 Opinion No Comments4 Mins Read
    fall 2021 lariat mugs
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    By Jenna Fitzgerald | Assistant News Editor

    Ah, college. The phase of life where we all have a chance to explore our interests and figure out how we want to spend our futures. The four years my mother has always lovingly labeled “the selfish years.” The period of time when … STEM majors lock themselves in the Baylor Science Building?

    I’m no Albert Einstein, but there seems to be a disconnect there.

    It’s become woefully common for students to trap themselves in a box when it comes to what they’re studying. I’m afraid this rings even truer for STEM majors, and even truer still for pre-med students. As the youngest child in a family of medical professionals, I’ve seen it, and I know. They have their eye on the medical school prize, and nothing will distract their vision. They become like robots, mindlessly taking all the biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy and physiology classes the MCAT has prescribed for them. They often complain about it along the way too, because they say most of it has nothing to do with medicine anyways.

    Honestly, perhaps they’re right. The United States is one of the only developed countries where a bachelor’s degree is required for admittance to medical school. In other parts of the world like Europe, aspiring doctors go straight from high school to medical school, with an extra year or two tacked on for education in the basic sciences. As much as I’m sure pre-med students have a bone to pick with the American system, there’s nothing they can do about it. They have to be here for four years, or however long it takes them to earn their bachelor’s degree. As long as they’re here, though, they may as well make the most of it.

    So, I’m here — ready to serve as the poster child of “making the most of it.” I’m a University Scholars major with a secondary major in journalism and minors in political science and Spanish.

    Every time someone asks me about my studies, their question is the same: How do all those pursuits fit together?

    And my answer is simple: They don’t.

    That’s what’s so beautiful about them. I’ve taken classes in social work, history and professional writing and rhetoric just because. I’ve completed a rigorous reading list of 24 ancient, medieval and modern texts — largely centered on religious and political philosophy — despite not being a big reader in the first place. I’ve gone outside the box when it comes to my course load, not basing every decision on a predetermined career plan, and I’m so much better for it.

    Attending college is a privilege, and it’s time we take advantage of it. These four years should be filled not only with intellectual and professional development but also with genuine character formation, which is often found in the study of our history and the greatest works of our time. Am I ever going to use what I learned from Cicero’s “On the Republic” or St. Thomas Aquinas’ “On Being and Essence” in my graduate school program or in my future workplace? Probably not. But did those books contribute profoundly to my personal growth and my worldview? Absolutely.

    Think about the opportunity that lies before you: the opportunity to experience a true liberal arts education. One day, years from now, you may be rounding in a hospital or working in a lab. Taking a few classes in the humanities isn’t going to prevent you from attaining that success. If anything, it will better you both personally and professionally. It will equip you with the tools to serve people in a holistic way. It will give you a strong intellectual, emotional and spiritual foundation for whatever career path you choose.

    So, stop living in your future, and start living where you are right now. Break free from the BSB. Explore other buildings and the rich lessons they hold within their walls. Branch out. You may be surprised by the magic the humanities can offer you.

    Education humanities liberal arts major STEM
    Jenna Fitzgerald

    Jenna Fitzgerald is a senior University Scholar from Dallas, with a secondary major in news-editorial and minors in political science and Spanish. In her third year at the Lariat, she is excited to learn from her staff and walk with them through the daily joys and challenges of publication. After graduation, she plans to attend grad school and hopefully teach at the college level.

    Keep Reading

    Texas math teachers strengthen skills at School of Education’s academy

    Don’t believe myths about autism — reduce stigma by learning facts

    I never thought I’d miss my meal plan

    Violent predator catchers do more harm than good

    Propelling the future: Aero at Baylor combines engineering, aerospace to compete

    Lariat Letter: My pre-medical studies have shaped me into a better man

    Add A Comment

    Comments are closed.

    Recent Posts
    • Students react to emergency alert following campus lockdown June 27, 2025
    • Baylor shelter-in-place lifted following police pursuit of robbery suspects June 26, 2025
    About

    The award-winning student newspaper of Baylor University since 1900.

    Articles, photos, and other works by staff of The Baylor Lariat are Copyright © Baylor® University. All rights reserved.

    Subscribe to the Morning Buzz

    Get the latest Lariat News by just Clicking Subscribe!

    Follow the Live Coverage
    Tweets by @bulariat

    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube LinkedIn
    • Featured
    • News
    • Sports
    • Opinion
    • Arts and Life
    © 2025 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.