This story starts six months before I started my freshman year of college in the form of a rejection letter. I knew exactly what I wanted to study in college, but the committee who received my application was not quite on the same page. Regardless, I loved the school I had applied to, so I went there anyway. At the beginning of my college career, I was set to major in my second choice, Music Business. Declaring your major before you start classes isn't all that weird at my school because most students are attending with a specific passion in mind. That definitely aided in the pressure I felt to be passionate about my major. But I'm not a math or science-minded person, and the math requirements scared me away pretty fast. I didn't give the major much time to win me over. So the next semester, I switched to Publishing, and of course, one month into my third semester of college, I want to change my major.
I wanted to declare my major quickly so that I could get on track to graduate in four years, but the anxiety that haunted me throughout the process of finding, changing, and realizing I don't like my major made me want to drop out. Moral of the story? Piling unnecessary stress onto your shoulders is not fun and you shouldn't do it. If you're currently looking for a field of study or want to change your major, I hope you learn your lesson by reading this article instead of running blindly through the labyrinth trial and error that I did.
So here's my advice to you:
1. Don't feel rushed to lock in your major
Enjoy the your time in limbo, because it gives you the freedom to try classes that have nothing to do with each other. I didn't take my time to figure out what classes I enjoyed taking & the benefits of each major I was interested in. Instead, I stressed myself out over my perceived lack of direction. I wanted to know what I was majoring in so badly that I filled out the major change forms before I had even taken a class on the subject. Looking back, it seems very naive of me. How could I have assumed I was interested in Publishing without every trying anything in publishing??
2. Decide what is more important to you
Taking the majority classes you enjoy or taking classes that will help you enjoy your work after you graduate. Initially, I thought I wanted to take classes that I liked, because I have never been school's biggest fan and I wanted to make classes seem less like a burden. Recently, I have been thinking that maybe I want to think a little bit more long-term. Sure, I enjoy the creative aspect of my publishing class, but I don't want to be a book editor or marketer. And sure, I don't like math or science, but I do want to work in the music industry.
3. Everyone has a different path
Whether that refers to the difficulty of finding a major you enjoy or the method in which you reach your goals, all paths differ, and you should trust in yours no matter how unique it is. Maintaining clarity on this notion is key to maintaining sanity during your journey towards what you love.
In summation, I feel as deep in limbo as a Publishing major as I would if I were Undeclared, but I know I will find my major soon. In the meantime, I guess I'll just go conquer those lovely General Education requirements.