Choosing a Major
I have been told that the average college student changes their major between 5 and 6 times before they graduate, which sounds like a waste of money to me. Rather than pour so much time and money into your education and then realize that you want to change your path, there are a couple of things you can do to help prevent this from happening to you.
It is okay to be confused about your career path when you first start out but by the end of your sophomore year you should know what degree you want to pursue. I am confident in saying that it is okay to be confused because I realized that I was not in the right major and through searching for a new major I learned some valuable information. I was in Pre-Pharmacy and taking Organic Chemistry II when I realized that I hate chemistry. I am the first in my family to go to college so my parents pushed me to be a doctor, lawyer, or pharmacist. Although making loads of money is good I realized that being happy is more important, so I took the Strong Interest Inventory test at the Career Center to help me determine what area(s) would best fit my interests. The DISCOVERY! Program at the Advising Center can also help you find an appropriate major/career path and you should research both opportunities to see which would be more beneficial to you. For me the Strong Interest Inventory test was very eye opening and I would recommend it to anyone.
As it turns out, I was much better suited as an English major. First step to change my major was to talk to the English advisor. She was able to fill out my degree plan, discuss my options, and help me to set a graduation date. You may think that advisors have too many students to worry about to give you the focus you deserve. Advisors are amazing people that would love to help you. The Arts and Sciences college tried three times to push back my graduation date because a class substitution had not been done. I would get the email from A&S and almost immediately after get a carbon copied email from Suzi telling them to make the replacement please. Suzi had my back at all times and I really need to send her a card to thank her. Otherwise, I would still be an undergraduate right now. Moral of the story is advisors are marvelous!
Set aside a little time in your day to change your major. It took me half a day but I was also filing my degree plan. Once you get the degree plan from your advisor, you need to decide on a minor. After visiting the advisor for that department, you have to take your degree plan back to the Arts & Sciences office if you are in that college.
I was once asked, “If money were not a factor, what would you do for the rest of your life?” I replied, “I would be a writer and college literature professor”. Today, I have graduated with my degree in English from Texas Tech University, and I am currently working on my Master’s degree. If you feel like you are not in the right major, ask yourself that question. Be honest with your answers. You can save yourself money and more importantly time.