You’ve done it. You’ve picked your college, lined up your classes, moved your life into an itty bitty dorm, and are embarking on the greatest four years of your life. College comes with a lot of big decisions, the biggest of all being picking a major. If you aren’t feeling great about the degree you’re working to achieve, it might be time for a change.
1) You can’t stand the classes for your major.
If you can’t drag yourself out of bed for your 8 AM, you’re in good company. But if you dread going to the classes that are essential to your major, you might need to rethink your schedule. If you find yourself utterly bored with the material or stressed and bogged down with coursework that you can’t understand, maybe think about exploring your other options. Your major should be something you’re passionate about.
2) You feel out of place among your peers.
In college, there’s all kinds of groups and subcultures that exist on campus, so it isn’t hard to find friends. But if you have trouble connecting with the same people in your school of thought, take that as an indicator for your future co-workers. If you don’t like your classmates’ collective dry humor or you can’t bear the early morning chipper attitudes of your peers, find a group you really assimilate to. You’ll want to be able to work and learn with people you can hang out with and talk with openly.
3) You fantasize about switching majors.
This one is an obvious indicator. If you find yourself daydreaming about physics in your photography class, or wondering about the theatre majors in your aerospace lab, take the time to talk to your adviser about making the switch. It’s good to test the waters with a few intro classes to fuel your passion, but your major will find you.
4) You chose your major based on outside influences.
Going into law because your parents are lawyers and want you to follow in their footsteps: not a good reason to pick a major. Going into law because your parents are lawyers and have fostered a love of the legal system in you: great reason. If you choose a major simply because of someone else, you may need to look inward for the major you really want to go into.
5) You can’t see yourself in the field after college.
Your college classes should make you feel good about your decision in a major! They should solidify your faith in your life after college. You want to graduate feeling confident about what you’ve learned, not unsure about what to do next (though you’ll probably feel that too). It’s important to choose a major that will apply to the field you can see yourself excelling in, whether you want to be a doctor or a botanist or a mathematician or an English teacher.
We all feel unsure of ourselves in college sometimes. But if you find yourself feeling genuinely lost, it may be time to crack open the class catalog to find something that really lights your fire within. You’re only here for a little while, so make it count towards a better and happier life for yourself.