Now, this is the story all about how my life got flip-turned upside down, and I'd like to take a minute. Just sit right there. I'll tell you how I became a psychology major halfway through my junior year.
I came to Coe knowing what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I wanted to be a nurse. For the first two years, I worked hard. I wasn’t a great student but I did what I could and I am pretty average. Then it came. My acceptance letter into the nursing program. Excited for my acceptance into such a difficult and competitive major, I buckled down. The first semester in the program I worked so hard. I was the president of my fraternity, the Assistant Area Coordinator of Greene Hall and in one of the most intensive major programs at Coe College. I hated it.
I was overworked, sleep deprived, and saw no signs of it getting any better. Words like “fun” and “social life” were stricken from any dictionary I read. My old friends in the nursing department would most likely agree. I know that some do. But more importantly, I made a realization. I am not a nurse. It just isn’t who I am. Once I accepted this fact I sent my mom a novel of an email explaining how absolutely miserable I was. Two minutes later I hear my phone ring. Before I can say hello I hear “Change your damn major!!!!!!!” You have to love moms right!? I do. It was easy after that. That’s what I needed to hear. The next day I talked with my nursing advisor and she agreed, but was a little less colorful about it. I found a new advisor that could help me plan out my Coe career as a psychology student. I was set.
Mind you, after that moment with my mom that I will always be grateful for, it was easy. However, before that point I had no clue what I wanted to do with my next three semesters, let alone what comes after that. For some reason one day I remembered what one of my bosses told me. “Do what you know, and do what you like.” Well, I know college. Not in the sense that I majored in alcohol and Oktoberfest was my final. But I knew college. I worked in Residence Life. I was in a fraternity. I was involved and I enjoyed helping students through the same situations that I found myself in. So I made the decision for psychology in the hope to go to graduate school and work in high education.
This is by no means a miraculous story. I am no role model. But not many people change majors that late in college. Now I promise you didn’t read the last 450 words with no point at the end of this, I am getting there. I am graduating on time next year and still have room to fit classes in my schedule for fun. I can play some sports and still go grab a beer with friends on the weekend. I am able to do so because I made two realizations.
- It is never too late to realize what you want to do with your life, and pursue that goal. Never.
- I gave myself options.
I came into Coe knowing I wanted to be a nursing major but, I also took psychology courses and got my gen eds out of the way early. I gave myself options knowing that life is not the most forgiving.
The moral of this story is this: Always live your life with forks in the road. When one path gets blocked, you still have more to travel down. Also, never be afraid to change your major. It may just be the best thing that happened to you at college. It was for me!
