Less than a year ago, college freshmen were asking for permission to use the restroom. Less than a year ago, college freshmen were forced into taking courses on subjects they have no interest in. If high school students had more opportunities to explore different areas of study, I think fewer students would be changing their majors.
There are three types of students. Some know exactly what they want to do for the rest of their lives and others have no idea where to start, but most are stuck somewhere in between with a few different ideas. I like to think I know exactly what I want to do with the rest of my life, but I know I can be very indecisive.
But listen here: it is okay to change your major.
You are not alone. It is estimated that almost 70% of college students change their major at least once.
As a college sophomore, I have officially changed my major on three separate occasions and have even transferred schools. I have declared a different major in each of the three semesters I have attended school. In the fall semester of my freshman year, I was a nursing major. I consider myself very passionate about helping others, and as a teenager, I found the financial realities of nursing to be more attractive than a lot of alternatives. I was convinced nursing was what I wanted to do for the entirety of my senior year of high school.
Halfway through my first anatomy class, I realized I did not want to follow through with it. I was having a hard time memorizing everything and was not doing as well as I am used to in class. "If I am struggling at this early stage," I thought, "what would it be like when I get accepted into the program the next year?" I dropped anatomy and decided to change to Elementary Education.
My high school offered a program called "Cadet Teaching" for seniors. It allowed students to spend 90 minutes in a local elementary school classroom each day. Students worked alongside teachers and helped lead lessons, grade papers, and work with the students. I had an awesome experience with the two classes I worked with, and an even better experience with my supervising teacher. She influenced me to go into education. She made a difference in each of her students' lives, just like my elementary teachers did for me. I only wanted to do the same for these young kids. The spring semester of my freshman year went a lot better than the first. I was truly enjoying my classes and could picture doing this for the rest of my life.
Over the summer, I won a scholarship through my work. I had the opportunity to go to the corporate office of Culver's, an American restaurant chain. As I toured the office, I met some very passionate employees, and I also had the pleasure of meeting founder Craig Culver himself! I fell in love with the environment and the passion. This one experience changed my mind entirely. I was so set on becoming a teacher, but now I was reconsidering my major all over again. Business was now an option. After long consideration, THIS is what I can really see myself doing. Who is to say I can't see myself doing something else again.
This fall, I started my sophomore year at an entirely different school two and a half hours away. I transferred to continue my softball career and receive a better education. New school, new year, new major. This time, I have no intentions of changing my major. Though I never did before, either.
Changing majors can be hard. Essentially, you are giving up on an idea and feel like a failure. Many of your peers are doing beyond excellent in their given fields, and here you are still taking entry level courses. Each time you change your major, the closer you are to truly knowing what you want to do. Do not change for anybody besides yourself. The nagging worry of not graduating on time is often a burden. You do not have to graduate in four years. The end result is all that matters.
