I could definitely imagine that there's a similar situation in the US. The one interesting 'feature' of US education is that you don't really pick a subject be

I could definitely imagine that there's a similar situation in the US. The one interesting 'feature' of US education is that you don't really pick a subject before the 2nd or even 3rd year. It is quite possible (and common) to spend the first 2 years studying much a wider variety of subjects than you would at most European universities and then spending your final 2 years really focusing in on what you decide to be your core are of focus.