From: Jennifer Daniels Weaver 

Initially, I took sociology because I was required to take a social science
and Intro fit nicely into my schedule. I found the entire semester interesting
but survey courses have to sacrifice depth for breadth. An intro class can't
cover research methods and stats. As a result, I didn't have any knowledge of
the science of sociology. Being a part of the research team during my
sophomore year allowed me to see sociology as a living discipline rather than
just interesting dinner conversation. Participation has desanctified the
research gods and goddesses and given me free membership into the academic
journals clubs. I think giving students academic articles and encouraging them
to have opinions and critiques is very important. Personally, it has made me
feel like I have something to contribute to a club that I would have felt was
too elite for me to join. This is not to say that sociologists are waiting on
pins and needles for the reading reactions of Jen Weaver (nor should they be)
but  simply that I'm "allowed" to agree, disagree and think critically about
academic research.

Because of this, I am going to graduate school to study sociology. And not
just any graduate school, but the alma mater of my advisor, research team
leader and Intro professor...truthfully, I almost feel like it's nepotism that
I got in. I didn't even know what sociology was, upon entering Notre Dame, let
alone that it was possible to study things like racism, sexism and collective
action. I think living at Dismas House would have been a formative experience,
even if I had not taken any sociology classes. However, having taken a few
sociology classes, I was able to look at many of my experiences at Dismas
House through a sociology lens and understand the things I was witnessing
quite differently.