Focus Quote by Jennifer Hyman
“I studied social studies at Harvard, which makes it sound like I was in seventh grade. It was a choose-your-own-adventure major, where you could decide what you were going to focus on.”
About This Quote
Source Interview: Forbes 30 Under 30 feature, 2021
The speaker humorously notes that a broad, interdisciplinary major can feel simplistic despite its prestige, highlighting the flexibility and lack of clear focus.
In simple terms: Broad majors can seem simple but are actually flexible.
Key Takeaway
Embrace interdisciplinary learning.
Themes
education
flexibility
identity
humor
Mood
reflective
lighthearted
Type
anecdotal
motivational
When to use this quote
- career planning
- college advising
- personal branding
- academic counseling
Key Concepts
interdisciplinary studies
self‑definition
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you define expertise in a broad field?
- What value does flexibility bring to your career?
A Different Perspective
Such majors may lack depth in a single field, making expertise harder to demonstrate.
![“It was at Harvard not quite forty years ago that I went into an anechoic [totally silent] chamber not expecting in that silent room to hear two sounds: one high, my nervous system in operation, one low, my blood in circulation. The reason I did not expect to hear those two sounds was that they…” quote by John Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/153/john-cage-2094_blood_it-was-at-harvard-not-quite-forty-years_56114.jpg)
