Dear confused individual,
I have been in your position. I have applied to college for a major that I thought I wanted to spend the rest of my life doing and was denied. I have reapplied to college as un-decided (because I honestly was) and ended up accepting a scholarship that demanded me to major in a certain field. I convinced myself that this plan made so much sense - that I would be happy and that I would get my degree in this field. I mean c'mon - most of my school was paid for. Why wouldn't I? As the classes persisted, I realized my love for this type of work was slowly fading and it was no longer something that I would want to do my whole life. So - I switched. It was honestly one of the best decisions that I have made. I took a leap out of my comfort zone, went against what everyone was telling me, and changed my major. All because of this, I have also found a minor that I am falling in love with.
Maybe you've started majoring in something you felt you would be in love with for the rest of your life and you realized you starting to fall out of love with it. Maybe you declared a major in a field that your family wanted you to do because it's a family tradition, but it's not something you wanted to do to begin with. That's okay. On average, college students change their major 3 times, so it's not a forbidden thing to do. It's even possible to still graduate on time.
If you honestly don't know what you would even want to do the rest of your life (I mean who really does?) there are ways to get an idea.
Start doing research. Make a list. Think of all of the things that make you happy. Think of all the things that make you mad and get your blood boiling. What are you the most passionate about? Think of yourself. Forget about what everyone else is going to think. This is what you will be doing for the rest of your life. Now, look at your list. Research any field that would be involved with the things that you love. Make another list of the fields that you think you would be interested in. Do some more research. What can you do with this major? Is this something you can picture yourself waking up at 5 a.m. for and still be happy? Keep doing research until you're 100% sure that you want to commit to a major. It might take some time but it will be worth it.
Everyone in college goes through tough classes. Our strength is tested and at some point we all even question if we're doing the right thing. You have to still push through it. It will get easier, I promise. If you feel the need to change, make sure it is for the right reasons and make sure you're doing it for yourself. Who knows? Maybe you'll end up killing two birds with one stone and find a minor that you'll love just as much.
Best wishes,
A student who feels your pain.
