Lindsay Mayo ’12

Lindsay Mayo was a History and Religion double major from Hodges, South Carolina. She was involved in Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority, where she served on the officer board. Also, Lindsay was active in Campus Outreach, and served as an intern at First Presbyterian Church of Greenwood, SC and First Presbyterian Church of Gastonia, NC. In the spring of 2011, she had the opportunity to study abroad in Wales; while there she studied Celtic History.

Why you chose to come to PC and what made you interested in majoring in history?

I chose to come to PC because of the relationships I saw encouraged here. My sister graduated from PC, and for awhile I was not sure if I wanted to follow in her footsteps, but when I was able to see how much she loved it here, and in particular her relationships with her professors, I changed my mind. I realized that students here actually knew their professors and the professors knew them as well. They interacted with each other outside of just a classroom setting. The professors at PC actually cared about their students. That is what made me come to PC and what I have experienced while being here.

I thought that I wanted to be a history major coming into PC, but I was not ready to make a commitment to it. After taking my general education history classes, I felt more confident in my choice. I decided to have a talk with my current history professor about options, and by the time I had left his office, I had made my decision. It is a decision that I have not regretted.

How would you describe your experience in the History Department?

I have had such a wonderful experience with the History Department at Presbyterian College. When I went to study abroad in Wales, I had no issues with my history credits counting when I came back. The History Department was more than happy to work with me. I can honestly say that I look forward to my history classes. I am actually excited about going to class. The History Department has helped to cultivate in me a desire to learn more, and that is something that I will always be thankful for.

What advice would you give to someone planning to come to PC and majoring in history?

My advice would be to talk to some of the history professors and even students who are history majors. They would be happy to talk to you. Another important thing is to realize history is so much more than just dry facts and remembering the date of some battle. When majoring in history you have to go deeper than that. It involves analyzing, researching, and viewing things in a bigger way. This involves a lot of reading, writing, and hard work. Majoring in history is not something to just breeze through but it is definitely something that is more than worth it.