“Having more than one major can be difficult to juggle. I have personally done every override available at Shippensburg and it takes more time and commitment than having a single major.”
Bradley Smith is in three majors at Shippensburg University: physics, computer engineering and management information systems.
“Many disciplines have overlap, so learning related disciplines can make you better at your primary discipline,” Smith said. “Also, having many majors or minors opens more doors in the future and makes more paths available to you.”
Smith, also minoring in mathematics, says the Ship experience has provided him with great personal and professional growth.
“Many of the skills and techniques I have learned will help me develop and learn new skills and techniques and can lead me to do things I could only dream of before I started. As a tutor, I have learned how far I have come in my majors. Problems that I struggled with early on I have mastered to a point of being able to help others with them, even after not seeing them for many years. I have gone from not even knowing the basics of programming to coming close to having my own licensed code and a published paper based off it,” Smith said.
Physics research is a highlight of Smith’s hands-on experience. He developed a code in C language that finds the decay of Lambda B to a particle Lambda C. He is currently working on a GUI interface with hopes of expanding it to solve other particle decays.
Smith was in the ROTC program during his first two years at Ship. He says the new skills he learned and his experiences made him a better person. He is also involved with Fencing Club and the leadership team for DiscipleMakers Christian Fellowship.
Given all he’s able to experience, Smith says he certainly sees the value of the Ship experience. He notes that pursuing three majors as a Raider is far more affordable than doing so at other institutions. Not to mention, the programs and faculty are held in high regard.
“I have come to believe that the faculty are Ship’s greatest asset and it is their guidance and teaching that we are paying for, not merely the classes.”
