Jerry ZurekThere I am, in the most uncomfortable position one can ever imagine. Ladies, you all have been there, I am talking about the gynecologist. For those males reading this, I apologize if you are squirming in your seats right now. I am already uneasy about being spread-eagle in front of a total stranger. As she is doing whatever it is she is doing down there, I hear this lovely doctor utter the words, “So, what’s your major?” I lift my head up and with a puzzled look on my face, I say, “Uhhh…Communications?!”
Wow, what an unusual place or even odder time for that matter to be asked such a question! Why does every conversation when you are first meeting someone start out with, “So, what’s your major?” Why is this simple little fact so important that your most recent acquaintance is holding their breath to find out? Well, I really don’t know.
This has been a debatable topic between me and my roommate, Lisa. It all started way back in the beginning of last year. We were dancing it up at the “Welcome Back” dance in Grace Hall. We were dancing around with our friends, kind of minding our own business when a daring little freshman decided to walk up behind Lisa and start dancing with her. As our little friend was trying to do his best to bump and grind to Lisa’s backside, we see him whisper something in her ear. When she looks in our direction, it almost looks like she chuckled to herself. After the song we decide to go outside to get some air. She assures her new friend that she would be right back. As we are breathing in the nice fall air, Lisa starts to explain her giggles. Apparently, as our new freshman friend was dancing all sexy and all up in her “grill,” he asks the most random question, “So, what’s your major?” Then she asks us, “Is that supposed to be some sort of pick-up line?” Well is it? Would someone only date me if I was an education major? If I was a math major am I deemed undateable?
As that semester went on, different people I would meet at Cabrini, guys and girls alike, asked me this burning question. Lisa and I determined that this was just a Cabrini thing. Oh no. Much to our dismay, around October to be exact, I was at a fraternity party at the University of Penn. I met many different guys that night. Sure enough, not one of them left out this wary question. Every time I visited a friend at a different college, it was always the same. The similar pattern I keep seeing is that the question comes pretty much after “What’s your name?” To me that is a pretty important question. My friend and I came to the conclusion knowing someone’s major is not and we will leave it at that.
So here I am months later, lying on a bed, and my legs in stirrups. All I want to do is get the hell out of there. And then I hear, “So, what’s your major?” After I answered the doctor’s question, I was a little disturbed at first, but then I was suddenly relaxed. That led to a conversation and I wasn’t as freaked out as I was in the beginning.
I came to the conclusion that for those of us in the college scene, we have the perfect conversation starter or builder in “So, what’s your major?” It’s definitely not another pick-up line. You guys may have to try a little harder!
