My first day of college seemed easy and somewhat relaxed. I found my classes days before I was scheduled to go to them. I thought I knew the campus well compared to other students because I had visited so many times. I already had many acquaintances that I met through the Facebook page. I felt like a seasoned expert, even though I was just a little freshman.
I started my college career at Temple University as a Biology major last August. My older brother graduated with a BS in Biology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania a year before I started college, so I already knew what I was in for. He told me he spent countless hours studying and writing tedious lab reports -- and when he wasn’t doing one of those two, he was still doing other homework. Compared to his friends, he was doing twice the amount of schoolwork.
I began with the mindset that, if my brother could do it, I could definitely do it. I believed I had a better work ethic and I definitely felt more devoted because of my career path choice. I wanted to become a Physician’s Assistant and help people. This had been the goal that I had instilled in my own head way before I had applied to college.
Yet, I struggled my way through tough classes. I ended with a much lower GPA than I would like to admit and I thought I wouldn’t be able to pursue my dream job. My heart was completely broken. I felt like I wasn’t going to reach my dream.
I realized that if I couldn’t pull higher than a C in Chemistry 1, which was averagely math-dependent, I definitely wasn’t going to do well in any higher level mathematics class. So I changed my major to Kinesiology, the study of human motion, halfway through my first semester. My roommate was a Kinesiology major, which is where I got the idea from. I had never heard of Kinesiology before I met her and I was immediately interested. The curriculum is extremely similar to Biology, but I wouldn’t be required to take overly-challenging math courses.
I was ecstatic and switched as soon as possible. When I was registering for classes for this spring, I knew I was excited to start over with a somewhat clean slate. Even though my GPA couldn’t be unpolluted of the mess I made of it during first semester, I had a lot of confidence going back to school after winter break.
Within the first week of my spring classes, I felt so rushed. I was pressed for time and everything seemed to be tumbling down on top of me. Deadlines were approaching much quicker than they ever did during the fall semester and I felt so alone even though I was surrounded by my peers. I was absolutely miserable.
Two weeks into the semester, while on the phone with my boyfriend, I realized that I truly wasn’t happy. Almost every time we spoke, I would complain about my classes or cry from frustration over homework and assignments. He asked me why I continued to put myself through that and my response was because I wanted to help people, even if I only made a difference in a single person’s life.
I decided after that talk that maybe the medical route wasn’t for me. I had a ton of friends who were walking that path and I felt like I was betraying them when I dropped out of the running and switched my major for the second time.
About one month ago, half way through my second semester as a freshman, I changed my major again, hopefully for the last time. I am now a Journalism major and my mind couldn’t be more at ease. I know it’s going to be just as challenging and stressful as Biology and Kinesiology were, but in an entirely different way.
I can still help people by spreading awareness and circulating articles on important topics. I believe that knowledge is power and Journalism will help me educate not only myself, but those around me as well. I am an extremely imaginative person and I felt that the Science majors I was pursuing in the beginning were restraining my creativity and not giving me space to breathe.
Even though I am only a freshman, I’ve been through what feels like a lifetime of hard decisions. I went from being utterly confused and frustrated with my major to being incredibly excited and enlightened about all the possibilities that are available to me and that won’t make me want to rip my hair out due to stress.
If you’re struggling with your major, my advice to you is to consider exploring your other passions. Maybe your new major won’t be what you told everyone you were going to grow up to be when you were younger, but it might be what makes you the happiest -- and your happiness should come first, no matter what.
