Before finally deciding on the program I'm in now, I considered so many majors while trying to figure out what I want to do for the rest of my life. During high school, I loved music and drama and dancing. I initially thought that’s what I wanted to continue to study in college. Of all people, my chorus teacher I studied with for almost two and half years was the one to talk me out of a degree in music. As someone who worked in music education, I figured she was someone I should listen to on the subject. After deciding to ditch the music degree, I researched majoring in psychology. My mom was the one I went to about this and I ended up deciding on a plan that involved getting my bachelor’s in social work and then going on to get a master’s in psychology.

So, I started my first year at Rhode Island College in the fall of 2016. I entered as a social work major. About two weeks into my intro to social work class, I decided that this program was not for me. I made friends in the class who are definitely meant to do this kind of work, but I certainly am not. I finished the semester in that intro class, hated every second and knew that I needed a new plan.

Part of me wanted to change and go into the music program or the theatre program, but after a lifetime of being told it isn’t marketable and it isn’t practical, I decided to explore other options. I planned to audition for musical theatre, but I wanted a “marketable” degree behind it. I had always liked math, so I planned on taking a pre-calculus class to see if maybe I wanted to get a degree in math or accounting. That quickly went down the drain as I began the class and realized I didn’t like math quite as much as I remembered. I looked through the RIC list of programs to see if there were any that I wanted to try pursuing. None of the programs was anything I could see doing for the rest of my life, except for music.

In addition to my search for a new program, I was thriving in my voice lesson, the choir, and both of the music theory classes I was taking. I reached out to my choral professor, asking her what she thought about a double major with music education and musical theatre. After much discussion and an advising meeting, she helped me schedule my audition for the end of the semester and I worked with my friends who had just been admitted into the program. At the beginning of May, just after finals, I was admitted to the music education program for voice. Now, instead of dreading my return to RIC like I did between the fall and spring semesters of my first year, I can’t wait to get back and start classes for a program that I’m actually excited to be in and learn about.

Going into RIC, I had let others’ thoughts and opinions override my own while I tried to decide on a program of study, which only resulted in a miserable start to my college years. Once I started to find myself, make decisions for myself and figure out where my heart lied, I didn’t want to leave at the end of the semester. Obviously, your friends and family want what’s best for you and their intentions are usually good, but their ideas might not always be what will make you happy in the end. When it comes to your education, getting a degree you enjoy learning about and can see yourself doing for the rest of your life will do more for you than a degree you hate but you think will make you money.