As college students across the country dive headfirst into the dreaded time of finals there is a unanimous sense of stress and desperation for success. A time where scholars of countless subjects begin to cram semester-long curriculums into single night study sessions that always seem to last way later than anticipated. Textbooks get thicker, PowerPoints become more and more vague and the confidence in your knowledge of required material dissolves a bit. It may not be your ability; it could be your major.

I want to throw an idea on the table for you to entertain during this time of academic chaos. An idea that seems so crazy many students wait until it becomes too late to try.

Changing your major could actually be a helpful move.

We’ve all heard the statistics from our high school counselors that on average college students will change their major roughly seven times. I have to say, from personal experience, maybe these students are on to something.

It seems almost taboo to change majors during college, as it tends to set students back a few credit hours, which then requires the slack to be picked up quickly without error. Facing more time in the classroom is enough to make any seasoned intellectual shutter with nerves.

Let me tell you something; I have done it. I really have. And you know what? I lived through it and now on the flip side I am experiencing new success with an improved outlook on academics.

I started college with the idea I was going to run the world. That quickly changed after my first college test grade came back. My expectations dropped a little resulting in a more realistic goal of graduating with a degree in Marketing/Advertising. I was determined to succeed in Marketing but for some reason my perception of the subject was far off from what it actually required of me. Before long I was making C’s and struggling to pass classes with no answer in sight on how to improve. My advisor suggested I look for another major and attempt to switch things up a bit but of course I was skeptical.

So there I was, four semesters into college, complacent with “average” performance, and barely keeping my head above the incessant waves of stress, which seemed to never let up. I was standing on the edge of what felt like the cliff of giving up for the semester and I did the unthinkable…I jumped.

I jumped into the unknown and came out with a new major.

I was now exploring the world of Public Relations as if I were on the moon. It was, in fact, a small step for me and a giant leap for my GPA.

With a fresh wind in my sails I was ready to tackle anything school could throw at me. At first, things were different; instead of four tests being the extent of my grade opportunities I had weekly responsibilities set in place for me to accomplish. However, it did not take long at all for me to see direct payoff of my newfound path in college. C’s turned to B’s and the A’s followed suit shortly after I found my groove.

It is not impossible to turn things around in college. I fell victim to the pressures of continuing to try hard at something when it got difficult. In this situation I felt it acceptable to quit and try something new and I could not be happier about it.

-You can change majors and be okay-

College is not meant to be a time of anxiety and struggle; changing your path doesn’t mean you have given up or failed either. You are supposed to find your passion, learn about it and genuinely enjoy what you wake up and do every day.

For those of you studying subjects and having to force yourself to learn I want you to think about what you love and find a major that allows you to do it. If that means you have to change things up and set yourself back a little, do it anyway.

Who said a major change had to be a MAJOR change?