When I found out I had been chosen to be a recitation leader for psych 101, I was pumped. I walked into class the first day with the goal of evangelically turning these 50 unsuspecting students into psychology majors. But now that the semester is wrapping up, I realize we were so busy talking about awesome psych stuff, I never got to highlight the positives (and downplay the negatives) of the major itself.

1) You get to excite people:
Strike up a conversation with anyone. After a minute or two, the question always comes up, “What’s your major?” When you say psychology, his or her eyebrows are bound to reach mid-forehead, if not hairline levels. This reaction may result from the realization that his or her deepest, darkest secrets have been analyzed during this 90-second discussion, but usually it occurs from feelings of genuine excitement to meet someone studying something so fascinating.

2) You get to help people – now and later:
I don’t have my bachelor’s yet, but when people learn I’m a psych major, they make me put them on “the list.” This is a roster – created by the first person to learn you’re a psych major – existing in your brain of all the people you will counsel when you’re a legit psychologist after a bazillion years of graduate school. If that sounds like a long time, know that even in my undercooked state of psychological education, people still ask me for advice and utilize my secret-keeping skills. And honestly, helping people feels great.

3) You get mysterious:
There are various perspectives in psychology (mini psych lesson: psychoanalytic, behavioral, biological, cognitive, humanistic, and evolutionary). The answers to seemingly simple questions (e.g. Why am I procrastinating during finals week?) vary greatly depending on which perspective a psychologist prescribes to. To psych majors – who learn to consider every angle – everything “depends.” Our inability to give a “yes/no” answer makes everyone wonder what’s going on in our brooding minds. When we’re sitting quietly, not thinking about anything in particular, everyone wonders if they’re in an experiment; we keep everyone wondering no matter what we’re doing. Being a psych major gives you instant mysterious cred.

If you’re still not convinced psych is right for you, consider what is clearly my most valid argument:
Jon Stewart, Natalie Portman, Jerry Bruckheimer, Wes Craven, and Katherine Hepburn majored in psychology.

Enough said. You know what to do.

Accurately summarizes my major and career as an undergrad Psyche major to a “T”