Hi everyone! My name is Jessica Fischer. I am a senior graduating in May! I can’t wait! My two areas are Behavioral and Social Sciences, and Elementary Education, my minor is Leadership. I am originally from Fort Lauderdale, and moved to Orlando for school. Once I graduate I think I’d like to move back down south. I enjoy being an IDS major because it’s made to fit who I am and who I want to be. One day I’d like to open my own gym and have a cheerleading and gymnastics team for kids with disabilities. For me it was hard to explain Interdisciplinary Studies to someone, but throughout the year I was able to fully understand more. You are able to do half of a two different majors, and combine them into one degree. This helps for students who are interested in more than one field and they can have the option of doing both. The Advantages of this degree is that you are able to explore more options than you would with a typical Education degree. The disadvantage of the major is that it’s not very well known, and no one really understands it. I’m looking forward to a great semester with you all! Good Luck J
Hello Cornerstone Students! My name is Amber and I am in Capstone this semester. I will be graduating in May with an IDS degree with specialties in Behavioral Sciences and Public Affairs and a Spanish Minor (hola). I will then be attending law school in the fall. I am from Indiana originally, but am a huge Green Bay Packers fan! I also like reading, writing, and hanging out with my dogs. When other people ask me about IDS, I tell them it is a custom design degree package made especially for me and my interests. I tell them that I have been able to combine all the fields that interest me into one degree and one final product. I think some of the advantages to IDS are just that, the ability to create your own path of coursework. The freedom allows for a little creativity in the process. Some of the disadvantages are that it is harder to get to know students with our major and the fact that no one really knows what it is. I'm looking forward to a great semester, tell us about yourselves!
Greetings Cornerstone Students! My name is Tai Chandler and I’m a Cornerstone student in my last semester at UCF. For me, Interdisciplinary Studies is the perfect fit because it has allowed me to blend Humanities and Letters and Modern Languages, with a Minor in Sociology, the perfect degree to nurture and grow in the areas that I love. I’m currently an Admissions Representative at a technical school and help students with their plans to further their education, so I can honestly tell you that I’m excited that I am blazing my own path as I prepare to graduate in May. After receiving my Bachelors degree, I will obtain a Masters degree to either continue my career in the corporate/education sector or pursue a career as a college professor. Either way, my degree in IDS is a strong foundation. I am often asked about my degree and explain that it is the perfect blend of the subjects that I love. The advantage is that my IDS is customized for me and allows me to focus on my strengths and passions. The disadvantage is that since the degree is specialized, knowledge and understanding of IDS is still growing. I’m looking forward to interacting with all of you. Cheers to a wonderful semester!
Hello everyone! My name is Danielle Brown. I am currently in my final semester here at UCF and plan to graduate with a BS in Interdisciplinary Studies in May. My areas of study are Behavioral & Social Sciences and Public Affairs, and my minor is Health Sciences. I've also completed a Substitute Teaching certificate. I lived on campus for my first two years or so, but I’m currently a distance student and finishing my degree online. Being able to still take classes at home is convenient, but not always the best for scheduling. When I have to explain my major to others, I tell them that IDS is a major that allows me to combine two areas of study and a minor to create a unique degree. Instead of fitting myself into a major, I am able to focus on my interests and design a major that fits me. I think that the ability to create a program that caters to your individual needs is the biggest advantage of the major. A disadvantage of the major is the fact that it is not yet well known. People generally know what you’re talking about if you say that your major is nursing or art, but that is not usually the case with IDS. Hopefully, that will begin to change soon. I’m looking forward to meeting everyone and having a great semester!
Hello to everybody! My name is Kailee Smith and I am from Palm Bay, Florida. I enjoy reading, cooking, playing with my cat, and taking my dog on walks- just so you know something about me! My areas of study are Psychology and Communication, and my minor is in Education. I am a senior to be graduating in May- feels nice to say that. When I explain IDS to others I always start by saying "My major is in Interdisciplinary Studies." Now, most of the time people have no clue what you just said, so you will have to explain it. However, some people know and they go straight to "What are your areas?" I always assume someone knows what IDS is until they ask me (seems to avoid some awkwardness in the communication), then I tell them, "IDS combines classes from 3 different majors to earn a Bachelor's Degree." I have found that this is a response that is easy to understand for most people! What I do not offer most of the time is the fact that all of my classes work together to provide me with a better understanding of not only the world around me but also ways in which to solve problems and achieve goals. The great thing about our degree is that we are so well-rounded. Also, IDS really allows people to be unique- it doesn't require us to fit into a cookie cutter design of what a 4-year education should look like. I will say that the only disadvantage may come when trying to get a job. Some employers may not understand the benefit of our "outside the box" degree. I think it will probably turn some people away, but if we explain it right, more times than not our degree will be something that separates us from the crowd, in a positive way. Good luck this semester!
Hello, my name is Alyssa Sherman, and I’m in my last semester at UCF as an IDS major. I was lucky enough to discover IDS as a sophomore, after changing my major five or so times before that. I just couldn’t decide between the areas I was interested in, so I was thrilled when a friend of mine started explaining to me what the major was. I was able to choose ALL of the things I was so torn between – which turned out to be Behavioral Sciences, Humanities, and a Minor in Women’s Studies, Tailor-made. It’s taken a while to iron out how I would explain IDS to people when they ask, but I’ve found that letting people know that I’ve been able to make sure I take the classes that truly interest me throughout my college career by hand-picking the areas of study that I wanted, it tends to make a lot more sense. IDS are a tailored program that allows you to connect varying disciplines to form a cohesive degree that will best suit your future goals in both academia and career. And truly, that is one of the largest advantages to the degree. The only snag I’ve run into with this degree has been the fact that it is a relatively new concept for colleges to allow such academic freedom to their students, and not everyone understands what hasn’t been established for a while. But, I would assume that within the next five years, that won’t be an issue any longer either! Here’s to a great semester together!
Greetings! My name is Thomas Edens and I am from Titusville FL. I am married with three young children. My wife graduated last summer from this same university with a degree in IDS as well. As far as hobbies go, my school work, kids, and job preclude me from doing much else at the moment, but I would always rather be snorkeling. As I am a Capstone student, you likely gathered that I am a senior on the verge of graduation this spring. After graduation, I plan to attend law school someone, and I am enjoying the recruitment process at the moment. When I decided to go to law school, I went in search of the perfect bachelor’s degree to prepare me. What I found out is that there is no such degree. In fact, law schools don’t even list a preferred undergraduate course load. I did a fair amount of research and came to the conclusion I was better off tailoring my degree to areas of study that were similar to law school. I knew there was a significant amount of writing and research. I choose to minor in writing and rhetoric and chose areas of study in Public Affairs (legal studies), and Behavioral Science (psychology). I think you will find that whatever you want to do post-graduate, you can tailor your IDS degree to prepare you. I look forward to further discussions about this and many other subjects during the year.
Now, it is your turn to tell us about you!
Please "Post a Comment" below sharing with us 1) who you are (not just your name-but something that makes you unique), 2) your areas of study/minor, and 3) your year of study(Freshman, Sophomore, Junior).
Also, share with us how you explain Interdisciplinary Studies to others. What do you see as an advantage to being an Interdisciplinary Studies student (will it aid your success in student life, career life, family life, and beyond)? What do you see as a disadvantage? Our hope is that this is a safe place to share your honest and open opinions with us and your fellow classmates, so feel free to get the conversation going!
