Response to Major Decisions by James Tunstead Burtchaell Paul Heiniger When reading the Burtchaell article, two different

lines of thinking were set off in my mind, though they were indeed rather contradictory to each other. The first had me agreeing withBurtchaell sargument about choosing a major, mainly because I was tired of being asked what I was going to do with a physics degree. People seem to expect that every major lines up directly with a career, just as much as pre-law and pre-med line up with jobs as lawyers and doctors. I was relieved that choosing a major isn t surely going to alter the course of my life. The objective, mathematical nature of physics appeals to me at the moment, but I can t imagine anytime soon committing myself to being a physicist 10 years down the road. I also tended to agree with Burtchaell s stance on allowing room for your intellectual curiosity to guide your decisions concerning your choice of study. Although my partiality toward math and science has influenced me to pursue a major in physics, there are also philosophical disciplines that interest me, especially those based on logic and reasoning. Taking only required courses for my major would have me miss out on an opportunity to study something I would enjoy, and something that could be of far more practical use than the laws of physics. On the other hand, though, I found Burtchaell s attempt to disconnect education entirely from career to be more dramatic than realistic. I think it s always intelligent to have some direction; to accept that you exist in reality and the choices you make now are going to have a great affect on your future. It may appeal to me to take all basketball classes, but to do so would be a refusal to think. A basketball degree, if there was such a

Response to Major Decisions by James Tunstead Burtchaell Paul Heiniger thing, would hardly get me a high five where as a Masters in Physics could open up so many more doors.