The first year of college has been one of the most exciting experiences of my life. I have met so many new people and discovered so many new things about myself. I have been blessed enough to step out of my comfort zone and to be challenged by those around me. I took classes that allowed me to branch out from what I have always thought I was interested in. One such class was a kinesiology class focused on physical activity and health. This was something I had never really explored before. Whenever I thought of health and a future career I always thought of biology and doctors, my mind never wandered much farther than that. Knowing I always wanted to somehow be involved in the health profession I never thought of anything besides being a doctor, that was always my first instinct. This was something I especially focused on when applying to schools and looking at their biology programs and preparation ability for acceptance into med school.
A lot of people enter college with this set idea for what they want their life to look like over the next four years, or at least I did. I wanted to major in biology, go to med school, and end up as some amazing doctor. The first semester eventually beat that out of me. The plan I went into this year with is most definitely not the plan I am leaving with. Halfway into my second semester, I am almost finished with my application to switch majors. My goal is to hopefully be admitted to the Kinesiology program and to study something I am passionate about that will help me obtain my future goals.
Going into this major change process, I was so nervous thinking about all the possible outcomes but most predominantly the outcome of what to do if I did not get in. Biology is no longer my passion, I actually ended up dropping the only college biology course I was enrolled in because I disliked it so much. So what was my back up going to be? It was very clear to me that biology is no longer an option. Being weighed down by all these what ifs became a major stressor.
After talking to a lot of people I began to realize how common it is for students to want to change their major and their career path. While not everyone does this, and I applaud those who stick with one goal throughout all four years, there are still a lot of people who switch majors once, twice, maybe even three times.
My dreams of advancing medicine and becoming a doctor have since become dreams of being a physical therapist. These dreams are more like a goal-oriented reality. I have worked in a physical therapy office for several years now and have always been interested in what they do. Now after taking a few kinesiology based classes and learning more about the human body, I am even more excited by this potential career. Seeing the impact my coworkers make on patients lives is truly amazing. I have always wanted to impact and help others in a similar way. With my newfound intrigue in kinesiology, I think physical therapy is the way for me to do that.
