I'm a history major entering my second year of undergrad. How should I get the most out of it?

by kyjuice

Some specifics: I'm concentrating in American history (albeit w/ some interest in philosophy/political theory) and plan to teach at the secondary level. I can't get certified at my school as an undergrad, so I'll probably end up doing a public MAT/Cert program.

There have been some threads concerning what undergrads should/shouldn't do to prepare for their postgraduate history studies, but since I'm avoiding that, how I can get as much out of just undergraduate-level history as possible?

Any advice - specific classes, summer programs, schedule structure - would be greatly appreciated.

NYSenseOfHumor

I studied history as an undergrad and also focused on American History.

  • Write a thesis, this is probably the most valuable tip I can give. Not only do you learn a lot about one specific area of interest but you also hone research and writing skills more than you would on a regular semester paper. If your department does not require an undergrad thesis nor offers it as an option see if you can do an independent study for a semester that culminates in a research paper.
  • Intern, depending on where you are there will be different options. If you are in or near a big city you will have more options but even in small and midsize cities you will have some museums and historical societies.
  • Do the reading
  • Seek out the professors outside of class. Not only will it help when grading comes around, but they often have projects on which you can work, sometimes for credit or (less often) for a stipend.