There’s a myth that changing majors at Cal Poly is almost close to impossible. I am here to tell you that the ancient myth is far from true.
With the help of the Mustang Success Center (located in building 52 room D-37), you can work with academic advisors to get on track and switch majors smoothly.
According to Audrey Richter, academic advisor, the most common students who change major are first-year students. During Week of Welcome (WOW), around 600 students attended workshops that dealt with major change.
But incoming freshman are not the only ones who are interested in declaring a new major. Many students on campus commonly seek to change their majors frequently. After all, how are we supposed to know at the age of 17 or 18 what exactly we want to do with our life?
If you are considering changing your major, your first destination should be the Mustang Success Center. There, you can meet a super helpful adviser whose interest is in you and you’re academic success.
“We will show them some resources for them to do self-exploration,” Richter said. “We will talk about why they want to do this and what’s fueling that fire.”
Richter stresses the importance of finding out what students like and don’t like before beginning the process.
“It’s okay to be thinking that you don’t like what you’re doing,” she said. “Explore and try new things.”
Compare what jobs are available for you with your current major with other jobs that are associated with the major you want to switch too. It’s crucial to weigh both sides of the situation—changing your major or not—and make an informed decision.
“Exploring and being confident and knowledgeable in the decision is the most important thing,” Richter said.
After you do some nifty research, you will sign up for a change of major workshop.
During the workshops, you will go over the university policy of changing your major. There is also a developmental process where you explore your likes, dislikes and strengths.
Next, you will be sent to your target major advising office—that is the advisor of the college you want to switch into. Here, they will review if you are qualified and you will enter into an Individualized Change of Major Agreement (ICMA).
An ICMA agreement will be approved once you have met all the requirements, such as a certain GPA standing or further course requirements.
Now, you may be thinking, “I know I want to change my major, but I am unsure which major to switch to.” Well, we were prepared for you to say that. So we offer the following advice.
It’s okay not to know! But it’s going to take some initiative to get the ball rolling. We would suggest trying out Career Services. Counselors there have assessments that can help you learn about what you like and don’t like to guide you in your decision making process.
And there you have it—HC’s guide to changing your major. It may seem intimidating, but with the right mindset, you can help yourself find a path that you truly enjoy and are enthusiastic about.
The time is now! Don’t wait to embark upon a new major. You are capable of anything you set your mind to. Good luck.