Matthew Symmes, B.A. 2013

2013 Major: History

How has being a History graduate from Duke helped shape your professional success?

"Being a history student at Duke taught me how to be a process-oriented, research-driven critical thinker. Duke's emphasis on evaluating the written record of history in both classroom discussion and submitted papers was incredibly influential. At Duke, I was taught how to work through a source; evaluate its strengths, weaknesses and biases; work it into the bigger picture of the time period; and prepare an argument based off of what it showed me. As a football coach, I do the same thing now - while we do not use a written record, we evaluate film with the same intent. We simply make our arguments with our plays.

"However, the underlying principles are the same, and I credit my academic background at Duke for instilling some of those fundamentals in me."

What advice would you give students in History?

"My first advice for Duke students would be to find a professor that you like and take classes as many classes from them as you can, even if you don't think that what they're teaching about is your main "interest." For example, I took classes from a professor whose main subject was British history, from the colonial era to the present. Going in, I was far more interested in US and military history, but her passion for the subject made it as engaging as anything I had previously personally preferred. I ended up following up with another course with her the next semester.

"Duke surrounds you with some exceptional people who are very good at what they are passionate about. Find a professor whose enthusiasm motivates you, and learn from them. You'll be surprised at how enjoyable it is and how much you get out of it."