Coming into St. Joseph’s College, I knew exactly what I wanted to major in. I registered as a speech communication major pursuing the pathology track. I took psychology, sociology, normal language development, and so much more that would steer me in the right direction of becoming a speech pathologist. I was doing very well and I thought to myself, I’ll get into graduate school without a problem.
On the first day of my sophomore year, in phonetics, I discovered that it will not be that easy. My professor taught in the graduate program at Long Island University Post Campus. She talked to us about the field and education process explaining that graduate school for speech pathology is incredibly competitive. She told us that applicants with perfect grades and perfect GRE scores sometimes do not even get in. From then on, I worried about getting into graduate school every day (even as I’m writing this article).
Thinking back to my freshmen year, when I was in normal language development, I found it very difficult. It was all new material and I was so close to changing my major. I knew I wanted to work in a field in which I would improve someone’s lifestyle and help them move forward. I was thinking of other programs that St. Joseph’s had to offer and recreational therapy stuck out to me. It looked exactly like something I wanted to do. When I discovered the process of graduate school, I knew that switching majors would be a smart idea. I pondered it for a while, but something kept telling me to stay with speech and give it another chance.
As I moved along in my college career (still as a speech major), I learned about different functional and organic disorders, anatomy and physiology, and the infinite therapies. And with learning every new thing, I knew that remaining a speech major was a great decision. I loved everything I was learning and I looked forward to every speech class. Since then, I’ve done a lot of graduate school research, gone to open houses, and worked with professionals to help make me stand out for graduate school. Even though I constantly worry and sometimes even lose sleep over getting into graduate school, I still would not change my track for anything. I’m now entering my senior year at St. Joseph’s and I will be starting the graduate school application process in just a few months. As nervous as I am, it’s incredibly exciting to apply and get my name out there.
Recently, I realized that I am not alone in this process. Whether you are applying to graduate school for speech, psychology, or applying to law or medical school, there is always a constant worry. You worry that things will not work out in the end and how you should have changed your major to strive for a less competitive field. If you’re a junior or a senior and have come so far in your major, you stuck with it for a reason. You stuck with it because you love it and you want to use your knowledge in your future. It’s common to have doubts and worry a lot, but in the back of your mind, you know you are going to be alright in the end.
To those who wish they changed their major, be happy you didn’t, because you never want to live in constant regret and unhappiness that you changed your field of study because it was competitive. Sticking with the competitive field only made you work harder and become more dedicated and passionate to your field. Stay strong and work hard. Things will work out in the end.
