I’ve always found it an abstract concept that at an age where our minds have near reached the apex of a state of confusion, students all across the world are told to choose a discipline that they want to study for the rest of their lives.
In the final weeks before I depart for the next great adventure, I find this choice weighing heavily on my mind. “Did I pick the right major?” “What if I’m not good enough to do the classes or the jobs afterward?” Questions like these have plagued my mind, and I imagine the minds of other students ever since they decided their major.
The reality of the situation is that we cannot assuage any worry we have now. As I have always said, reality is the cumulative product of past experiences and choices. The reality of today will be different than the reality of tomorrow. We cannot now begin to judge our performances in classes when we haven’t even started them, nor can we know whether or not we will want to continue pursuing our current major as we have not yet been fully exposed to it. Do not begin to doubt in moments of unknowing or failure, only doubt when you start to not find yourself excited to learn more about your chosen discipline.
If it’s any consolation, most students come across this conundrum sometime throughout their college career. It is predicted that around 75 percent of all college students will change their major at least once (Gordon, 1995). You are not alone in this endeavor, everyone is going through this thought process and it is perfectly within your right to change your major at any time. View your current decision as nothing more than a placeholder. A sampling of some of the classes so you can explore and find out what you are truly interested in.
You may be wondering now, ‘well if 75 percent of college students change their major, how can we be expected pick one before we have even begun to explore all the career options?’ The answer is you can’t, but you must. Sure you can go in as undecided, but you must make this decision sometime. I firmly believe that the reason a major is asked so early is to expose students to the fact that although sometimes life may present them with unfair events and choices, they ultimately have the power to change that. Life presents you with choices, you decide between the options or make your own. That’s all part of making the reality of tomorrow different than the reality of today.
So remember, no matter how concerned you are about your major, or even picking a major. The decision is not permanent. You can change it at any time throughout your years in college. Do not doubt yourself now in moments of unknowing, or in moments of failure. This time if for you, take advantage of it. Shape your education around what you want and only what you want. It's your reality, no one else’s.
