Choosing a major was one of the hardest decisions I ever made involving my college career; deciding to change it was even more difficult. When I first started college, I thought I had it all figured out. I committed to a criminology major before classes even started, as I have always been fascinated by what makes criminals tick, and decided on a law enforcement career. However, two days before classes began I found out that my university offers a bachelor's degree in neuroscience and I immediately knew I needed to change my major. The prospect of learning about how humans in general think and process actions was incredibly exciting. I loved learning about the parts of the brain and all the chemicals our bodies produce; unfortunately, the professor and I did not see eye-to-eye. Said professor taught in a way that I struggled to retain information. Thus, this major only lasted one semester. For those of you keeping count, that was twice changing my major in one semester.

As I pondered on which subject to declare as my new focus of study, my mind kept circling back to English. My mother instilled a passion for reading and writing in me when I was young. I excelled in my Advanced Placement literature and language classes in high school, so I figured, "what the heck” - after all, I was just trying to choose something I would enjoy while deciding on my “real” major. My third choice of major ended up being where my heart truly lies. Not just for my love of literature but because of my classmates. Memories were made in those literature classes that I will never forget. I will forever cherish the bonds I have with my English professors. My undying, possibly obsessive, love for Jane Austen was embraced and even encouraged. But even after all that, I knew that my destiny did not involve earning a bachelor's degree in English. To my former fellow English majors, I am sorry I am a blood traitor. I hope you can forgive me. Deciding to reduce English to a minor was heartbreaking, but necessary.

You see, I am a hairdresser and my true passion is creating new styles and showing others how magnificently beautiful they are. When I entered college, hairdressing was my backup plan, but as the days went on, I began to miss being behind the chair, scissors and comb in hand. I even became jealous of the hairdressers I follow on Instagram and all that they were creating daily. It took me a year and a half, but I finally acknowledged my desire to one day own a salon and fill the world with positivity.

I knew that in order to achieve my dream, I would need extensive knowledge of business and finances. So my fourth, and final, major is business. I declared only a semester ago and I have learned to love it. This past semester of business courses have taught me useful things about creating a successful business in the future and shined a light on things about myself now.

I no longer care about what people think of my decisions to change majors so many times. To update the count, that is three changes in majors in a year and a half. I often get well-meant jokes like, “what is your major this week?” Sometimes, what starts out as friends just teasing can be quite disheartening and make one question if they have made the right choice. Don’t let the comments get to you; only you can choose what path is right for you. You may declare your major once or ten times throughout your college career, you may even get partially through college and decide it just isn’t for you, and that is perfectly fine. Trust me, I've changed my major enough now that I'm almost an expert. You know what is best for you - don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.