91��ý

Kit Kringel ‘27, balances multiple leadership roles on campus as a tour guide, vice president of the Scottish Country Dance Club, and co-president of the Bi-Co Folk Dance Club. She’s also a member of the Mock Trial team, participates in BMC Interfaith programming and volunteers with the Mineral Collection. In this blog post, Kit shares her journey to declaring her majors in Geology and Political Science, reflecting on how her experiences at 91��ý have shaped her academic path.

What are your majors, and how did you discover them at 91��ý?  

I am a and Political Science double major (& potential Biology minor) and I found my way to the departments during class registration for my first semester of college. I was planning on majoring in something entirely different but decided to go with my gut and explore what felt the most interesting to me, which ended up being geology and politics. 

Did you enter college knowing what you wanted to major in?

I thought I knew what I wanted to major in when I entered college. However, when class registration started, I realized that the depth of learning I had access to in high school was not the same as in college. While I had been restricted by curriculums in high school, in college I now had access to a depth and breadth of learning opportunities that I had never seen before. I immediately decided to scrap my initial plans, which I now knew were restricting me from exploring new subjects. I let myself get into what exactly I found interesting from my high school studies—conservation, ecology, sustainable living systems, and international sustainable policy. What really sealed the deal for me was my experience in my intro-level major classes, where even though they weren’t high-level topics classes, the professors (shout out to Dr. Weil and Dr. Corredor!) brought enthusiasm and connection to the work that really gave me the encouragement and freedom to really explore my interests, and see myself working in the disciplines after college.  

Favorite class you’ve taken for your majors? Favorite memory?  

My favorite class so far has been Biosphere Through Time, a Geology course that explores paleoecology and the development of Earth systems throughout deep time. My favorite memory was our first lab meeting, where we learned about fossil preservation through the board game “Taphonomy: Dead and Fossilized.” It was an accessible and collaborative introduction to key lab themes and really set the tone for the class later in the semester. The class is a fun, open, and exploratory space, where I feel confident knowing that the instructors are excited to be there with me throughout the learning process.  

What experiential learning opportunities have you had connected to your academic interests?  

I was able to attend a seminar on Public Policy hosted by the in the winter of my freshman year. I met a lot of impressive, smart young people in my academic field, and was able to network with professionals who ended up guiding my views of policy making. It also confirmed my choice to add my Political Science major, and was a fantastic introduction to what I could accomplish with that sort of educational background. 

What advice would you give to a first year on the process of declaring a major(s)?  

You have a lot of freedom now as an adult, and that means that if you know deep down you don’t feel fulfilled by a certain major path, class, etc., you can always change your mind and do something else! College is a time to develop and change, so do yourself a favor and don’t resist it —especially in your first year. You will open yourself up to new perspectives, friendships, opportunities, and much more that will shape your academic career in a positive way, regardless of whether it turns out to be what you imagined in high school.