{shortcode-283ce545a962060a681149726d369cf39c85d34c}With frigid November weather and Starbucks’ holiday drinks comes every sophomore’s favorite existential crisis: declaring a concentration. For all the masochists incredibly hard-working sophomore Flyby writers who just can’t keep their distance from the Science Center (or even farther SEC) and definitely didn’t fall in love with their MQC course assistant, Flyby Blog is proud to present Why I Declared: STEM edition.

Evangeline J. Gilmer: I declared Neuroscience because my nerves hate me and I want to know why! My chronic nerve pain is pretty much always tolerable without painkillers, but lots of people have more serious disorders. And regardless of which end of the pain spectrum people fall into, many unfortunately have one thing in common: the only existing treatments are physical therapy and painkillers. And neither of those are cures. I’m a pre-med life science lover, and I find neuroscience to be the most interesting Harvard life science major not only for the personal connection but also for how ~mysterious~ our own minds are. In other words, the nervous system is the Zayn Malik of the human body and I guess I’m Y/N…?

Raymond Wu: I haven’t declared just yet, but I’m 99.9% sure I’m going to declare Computer Science. And before anyone says anything, yes, I am a victim of the tech propaganda pyramid scheme. But aside from that, I’ve found myself really enjoying programming and even the more theoretical side of computer science, so I’m excited to dig deeper and learn more about the subject. And also to retire at 35.

Anjali Z. Mehta: I declared Applied Math, and I have been reconsidering my choice ever since. I know that I am in for a deeply humbling college experience, but I’ve come to accept the inevitably low GPA and constant late-night psetting. While this decision was certainly surprising to my friends and family, I chose AM as I have truly loved all the math classes I’ve taken so far, especially the ones that have involved literally no numbers. I am very excited to dive even deeper into the wonderful, collaborative, nerdy AM community!

Hailey E. Krasnikov: Honestly, I declared Neuroscience and Economics because I couldn’t pick just one Harvard trope. Am I a finance bro?? Am I premed?? The world will simply never know because I am indeed both. Neuro is just science-y enough for me to feel like a #WomenInStem, while Econ activates my go-getter business persona that I use to convince myself to get up at 5 a.m. to finish my homework that’s due that day.

Tali S. Wong: I declared ESE. Do I hear you asking what the heck is that? Yes, it is a veryyyy small concentration (think-I-know-almost-everyone-else-who-is-declaring small) with an excessively long name. ESE stands for Environmental Science and Engineering. Basically, I love trees, but I also love math. Yes, I have put myself through many painful intro STEM courses. No, I haven't gotten to take many classes in my concentration, but I’m telling myself that I will love it when I get there. Also, somebody has to save the planet.

Annette Kim: I will most likely be declaring Neuroscience because I think it’s cool. I wish I had a more compelling story to tell on why I chose my concentration, but there’s really nothing else to it. I think brains are interesting, and I want to learn more about them. Are my interests prone to change? Most definitely. Am I having a crisis every other day on what to declare? Absolutely. I will simply continue to ~pursue my passions~.