My Undergrad Degree Story
Entering into college, my vision was more centered towards the locations in which I will be living. I was stuck between LA and NYC (and thankfully got accepted into several schools in each location & was offered scholarships) because both of these cities offer great living and job opportunities within the fields of my interest. After having contemplated each acceptance offer (keeping in mind the scholarship offerings!!!), I decided that The New School would be the best fit for me as I've always had my eyes on NYC and because I identify as being both a business oriented women as well as a creative.
I originally was planning to double major at The New School's liberal arts department, Eugene Lang, in Psychology and Economics. However, after having thoroughly thought through my academic and career plans for sophomore, junior and senior year, my advisor and I decided it would be best to major in Economics and double minor in Psychology and Fashion Business.
Economics
I was first introduced to this academic field back in high school when I took a required AP Economics class. I performed very well in the class and my enjoyment on the course fueled my interest to obtain a degree in this subject. I am thankful that The New School offers Economics (among other social sciences) for undergrads because I am able to combine this field of knowledge with my creative interests in Fashion Business (through Parsons, which is the design sector of The New School).
I firmly believe that the study of Economics is essential for my vision because it combines financial, business, and psychological theories in order to explain the worldwide market. I like that Economics incorporates more than just graphs and mathematical computations, but, rather, it acknowledges psychological motivations behind consumers, business owners, etcetera.
With that being said, I felt that Economics would be the perfect degree for me as it can be applicable to numerous fields (such as my work in real estate, business journalism, and fashion) and it will aid in my plans for graduate school.
Psychology
This is an academic field that has been a passion of mine for many years now. I always admired the importance of this field upon humanity as it is one of the most crucial in studying and explaining the human mind and experience. Psychology will forever be a passion of mine and I firmly believe that everyone should study it because, at the end of the day, the root of the field focuses on us as human beings.
Due to the fact that I do not plan on becoming a full-time clinical therapist or researcher, I decided it would be best for me to minor in this topic because I will be harnessed with just enough information for me to use in my future work in graduate school and business.
Although I am obtaining a general degree in Psychology, I am focusing my classes on cognitive neuropsychology as this is the main school of psychological thought that interests me. I would not be surprised if I end up obtaining a PHD in this sector of psychology in the far future.
Fashion Business
Due to the fact that The New School is most famed for its design school, Parsons, and because I have always had a creative interest in the study of the fashion industry, it was a must for me to get a minor in this field. I did not feel it was necessary for me to major in Fashion Business because my vision for the future involves more than just work in fashion. Thus, a minor was the right choice for me because I am being educated on specific sectors of business that apply towards the worldwide fashion and design industries.
My interest in fashion stemmed from my Italian family in Milano. My great grandmother owned a fashion house based in Milano and she taught me many things about high fashion design and manufacturing. Personally, I am more interested on the business side of the fashion industry as opposed to the design side, however, I acknowledge the fact that in order to be truly successful in the fashion world, one must have talent in both sides.
Well, that's my mini breakdown on my degrees at The New School. I'll probably write some other articles on any important academic and professional happenings in the near future, so stay tuned!
Love always and forever,
Vale