Majors, Minors, and setbacks

Entering my sophomore year, I realized I hated my major.

Blatantly put, I was not interested in the classes. I found myself waiting for a class or professor that would make me stay, but I was stuck in a cycle to which there was no end. I made a promise to myself that I would never stay in something if my heart wasn’t in it, and I was doing just that. So, I called my family and broke the news that I was not going to be the next president, but was just a NORMAL college student that had no idea what she wanted to do.

I realized what I didn’t want to be doing at that point. But this begged the question, what do I want to do? Looking anywhere and everywhere for help, I emailed the entirety of the career counseling staff and begged for an appointment the next day. Of course, I had one more day to switch out of every single one of my classes and declare a new major. One not-so-lucky advisor answered and held a meeting in which he asked me what I wanted to do and where my interests lie. Well, Mr. Advisor, that’s what I was there to figure out. Frantically, I lamented that my interests were all unrelated to each other and I saw no clear path forward. He then told me something I never knew could be part of the plan. 

“Try a little bit of everything and decide from there”

Since I came to GW, my schedule reflected a map to my intended major. It was time for a change. I took his advice and ended up with one of the weirdest schedules one could create. From archaeology to news writing, I had a mix of all subjects I deemed ‘interesting’ and quickly learned that one tiny major was not going to fit my chaotic assortment of interests.

With this mish-mosh of academia, I realized I excelled in two areas: talking and writing. My news reporting class became a very hard and very challenging breath of fresh air where I received the chance to do something I really loved. I learned a whole new way to write stories that people would want to read. But, it wouldn’t be so simple.

The School of Media and Public Affairs at GW is a program you have to apply to. I submitted my application for the journalism and mass communication major, and a few minutes ago, I got word that I’ve been accepted and that I had the opportunity to follow my passion. 

Taking this jump was scary, and I was convinced this would be a major setback (no pun intended), but I realized living with the regret of doing something I hated was worse than rejecting and allowing myself a chance to do something I loved. I advise you to take the chance and allow yourself to live a life you will be happy with and risk the fear of rejection you might find when you get there.