39 Standing Alone

The following post was published on Carly Ristuccia’s ePortfolio in September 2015 while she was taking “Introduction to Interdisciplinary Studies” at Plymouth State University.

Engaging in Interdisciplinary studies has broadened my understanding of entrepreneurship, abstract thinking, metacognition, and love of learning. Starting with entrepreneurship, majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies has given me the confidence to create something of my own that may not be out there yet. I am creating and envisioning a possibility that others may not see or may not have the confidence to direct. That possibility is going to open so many doors for me.

Secondly, being able to think abstractly, is very significant to me. It is so important to have different ideas that may even seem impossible. In today’s world one of the top aspects an employer will look for when hiring an individual, is creativity. Will this person be able to benefit my company with creative, new, and different ideas? Can they use creativity to solve complex problems in the workplace that haven’t been used in the past? Just think about it, if everyone just stuck to guidelines and tradition, the world would never grow and would never have the chance to become any better. Interdisciplinary studies in and of itself is thinking abstractly and creatively. It is bringing things together to create this abstractness that people will appreciate just for that fact that it is a different way of thinking—a new perspective.

On the subject of thinking, Interdisciplinary Studies also greatly fosters the ideals of metacognition. Metacognition is the “awareness of your own learning and thinking process” (Repko 57). With metacognition, you are able to take your mind out of society’s views and have your own views. You can be your own self and that is who you should want to be most! Because at the end of the day, your opinion and your thoughts matter, and you need to make those important to you before they are important to anyone else.

Engaging in this study has had me step back from each discipline of my choice, and relate the assumptions of both, which has ended up teaching me a lot about myself. But most importantly, this study is really able to highlight my love of learning. Declaring this major feels like me declaring, “I will not settle for less! I will make the most of my opportunities!” And that feels really good because unlike many other majors where it is easy to feel trapped or to feel stuck in this routine that everyone who has graduated with your degree has gone through- the same process; this study has me standing alone and in this case, that isn’t a bad thing.