What I wish I knew about sociology as a freshman

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Viewing social phenomena from a scientific point of view: That's what the study of sociology is all about (symbol image)

Photo: JOSEP M ROVIROSA / Getty Images/Westend61

Sociology examines social action - whether in a political system, during a pandemic or on TikTok.

There are accordingly many research fields - and just as many different professions that sociologists can aspire to.

Studying “something with society” – Dorena, 25, didn’t know much more about sociology before starting her bachelor’s degree at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich.

She is now completing her third master's semester and is happy with her choice.

Here she tells what inspires her about sociology, how she learned to deal with complex theoretical texts and how her studies shaped her view of the corona pandemic.

The decision to study sociology

»After graduating from high school, I didn't know exactly what I wanted to do, so I worked in a cinema for a year to earn money.

Sociology wasn't on my radar - it was 'something to do with society' for me.

A friend from school really wanted to study sociology and dragged me along to a lecture during the normal semester.

In the end she decided to study law – but sociology caught my eye.

After the lecture I did some research and took the aptitude test at the LMU.

I had a good gut feeling about that.

Well, and then I stuck with it and am now studying in the third

Master semester.

Then as now, I was fascinated by the fact that sociology looks at everyday things in a new light.

Although the topics sound general at first glance, you quickly realize that they are anything but banal.

The pandemic is the best example of the relevance of sociological debates: how we reacted to the lockdown or what structural problems have arisen, such as domestic violence against women or the division of roles in the family.

Actually, we should all study sociology for a semester.

Just to get a different perspective on the world.

To question things and not take them for granted – simply to deal more critically with everything that we encounter in everyday life.«

Content and structure of the course

»In the first semester in Munich, I was immediately enthusiastic about the introductory lecture I had with Armin Nassehi, who is quite the entertainer.

I was also very lucky in the accompanying tutorial – my tutor clearly broke down complex theories.

That was important because right from the start there was a lot of sociological text work that seemed complicated.

In retrospect, I would have wished for myself to have had a somewhat more relaxed attitude towards specialist literature.

You read a lot, but in the end you can get through it even if you don't know every single text.

And more importantly, it's okay if you don't understand complex theory texts the first time you read them.

That comes with the time.

In the end, you learn more from the discussions than you would from books alone.

In addition to the text work, we initially had courses in statistics and scientific work.

There should be people who think statistics are cool, everyone else can opt out after the second semester.

After the first two semesters, electives are added – what is offered varies from university to university.

For me, there were materialism or phenomenology.

You can also focus on gender research, social inequality, education, migration or integration.

In empiricism or method subjects you can decide whether you want to do more quantitative or qualitative research.

At first, most of them don't have an overview of all the subjects, which is overwhelming.

In retrospect, I am happy with my choice of subject.

But I also dropped out of seminars along the way and took other subjects in the next semester.

Pragmatism, for example, just didn't interest me that much.

Overall, the choice of subjects is relatively free and based on personal responsibility.

I know a lot of people who didn't complete sociology within the standard period of study.

It's the same with the exams - personal responsibility is required.

In the first semesters, when there are more lectures and fewer seminars, there are mostly exams.

In seminars we actually always have to give a presentation and then write a paper at the end.«

Career prospects after graduation

»The career paths after studying sociology are – unfortunately – just as wide as the choice of subjects.

I work as a student trainee in market research - that's an area that lends itself.

But jobs in human resources or journalism are also possible.

I'm still not sure where I want to end up.

I was a little intimidated at first by the multitude of options.

That certainly also contributed to my decision to continue studying for a master’s degree and not to enter the job market.

In the meantime, however, I see it as a plus not having to commit yourself so early.

The skills that I take with me here can later be used in a wide variety of professional fields - independent work, for example, research, dealing with complex topics, critical thinking, planning and carrying out research projects or dealing with statistical programs.«