As my freshman year comes to an end, I’ve looked back on it with one major regret. Picking a “safe major” to come into college with. So for all you high school seniors that are worried, or not very excited because you picked a “safe” major, then this is an article to show you that you aren’t alone.
I’ll start off with an anecdote. I had been a major “band nerd” all my high school years. I was section leader, I participated in all the bands the school offered, and just really enjoyed what I did. Around my sophomore year of high school, I was like “I want to do this my whole life!” My band director then was very inspiring, and I loved helping out in my high school band, so I began preparing to enter college with an intent to major in music education.
Junior year came around, and it became the time I’m sure you all have dreaded or are dreading. College applications. Music majors not only had to fill out the normal college applications, do their SAT’s or ACT’s, and tour schools, but they also had to prepare for auditions at their potential schools. As somebody with major performance and audition anxiety, I eventually was like “no way.” And thus I decided to go with a “safe major,” and chose history.
Now this isn’t a knock on anyone majoring in history. I love history, and it was my best non-music related class in high school. I had full intent to either become a history teacher or a lawyer. Both seemed like safe, doable, and secure jobs and I had all the intent to go into college and conquer them. But I soon realized that I made a huge mistake.
I had joined the campus band at my college, a band for both music majors and non music majors alike, because I didn’t want to give up on all the work I had done with music in the past. As each week in my first semester went by, I became more and more unhappy and bored in my major of choice. I was good at history, but I soon realized I didn’t want to spend my whole life doing it. I soon entered the wormhole of “undeclared but not exactly undeclared.”
My major was still history, but both my advisor and I knew I was looking for other options. I bounced around other ideas, like pre-law, digital design, animation, and even transferring schools, purely because I couldn’t decide what to do. Music education was always in the back of my head, but it seemed too far out of reach. The second semester came, and it seemed like all hope was lost for me. I had no idea what to do or where to go, and considered going to community college in my hometown.
A little over a week into the new semester, the conductor of campus band and coincidentally the professor for my primary instrument approached me and asked me if I was interested in majoring in music. A door that seemed to have been shut long ago was finally open for me, and I jumped at the opportunity. About two weeks into the second semester of freshman year I was a brand new music education major, and I finally knew I was on the right path.
So, future college freshman, don’t be afraid to enter college undeclared instead of picking a safe major. You’ll meet people and professors who have been in the same situation as you, who can give you guidance. Taking general education courses as well as joining clubs will also have you seeing a whole new world of opportunities for your future. And to the high school seniors who picked a “safe” major because you felt you weren’t “good” enough for your desired one, don’t fear. You are good enough no matter what your skill level is. After all, you came to college to learn, not because you already knew everything!
