As a sophomore in the A.B. program at Princeton, it was time. This spring, my inbox has been flooding with emails detailing how and when I will declare my major and enter the newest stage of my Princeton career: being an upperclassman. And this month, I was indeed quite excited to officially pick my department. During my first two years here, I took a pretty wide variety of classes that helped me determine my interests more concretely, but I envisioned myself majoring in French even as I applied to Princeton. While I changed my mind (often multiple times) about many other academic endeavors (including, but not limited to, becoming an anthropologist and being pre-med), wanting to major in the French department here has always been a certainty for me.
Needless to say, I was thrilled to enter the program this month. During the first two weeks of April, all of the departments held open houses - usually, in typical Princeton fashion, involving a free lunch or at least fancy snacks - where we could go to find out more about the faculty and courses offered within each department. Then, current students from each department held an open house on a Saturday for the sophomores where we could ask our peers about their experiences and perspectives about each department.
![I enjoyed attending the open house and learned a few new things about majoring in French! This is the poster for the open house that the students organized for us.](/sites/default/files/images/capture_decran_2015-04-08_a_1.10.43_pm.png)
And then? It was the week of truth. After meeting with our departmental representatives and getting two forms signed, we had seven days and one simple click of a button. Then we were welcomed into our newest campus families!
![My concentration declaration is official! This is a photo of my official concentration declaration.](/sites/default/files/images/concentration_declaration.jpg)
For me, officially becoming a French major generated a brief adrenaline rush and merited right off the bat a text to my parents and a Facebook status. But I know that it will now mean the opportunity to do independent work and to start focusing my class choices more closely around my interests. At my meeting, I was also assigned a junior paper advisor who will help me begin my research work as a student here. To be honest, I’m a bit nervous about beginning the second half of my Princeton career and the research work that it brings with it, but for now I am excited and am looking forward to benefitting from the support of my new department on campus.