Her Campus Logo Her Campus Logo
books on brown wooden shelf
books on brown wooden shelf
Susan Yin/Unsplash

Declaring Your Major: Expectations vs. Reality

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Kenyon chapter.

Now that I’m a few weeks into my sophomore year, I recently been felt a pull towards declaring my major. I know that it’s still early on in the year, but now that I’ve finally figured out what it is I want to do, I want to shout it from the mountains. So, I picked up the form from the registrar’s and went about getting everything that I needed in order to turn in my major declaration. Unfortunately for me, although the thought of finally becoming a chemistry major made me want to run around with excitement, most people who I came in contact with were remarkably less enthused. So, I’ve put together a synopsis of the expectations that I had when declaring my major, and the ultimate reality of the situation.

 

When you go to the Registrar and tell them that you want to declare your major:

Expectation:

And then they hand you a complicated form that requires a lot of signatures.

Reality:

When you get your form filled out, and you head back to get it approved:

Expectation:

And you realize that you’re making an actual adult decision.

Reality:

 

When they hand you your sticker, and you get to wear it around all day:

Expectation:

But then you realize that everyone is looking at you since you stick out.

Reality:

When you tell your friends:

Expectation:

 

Reality:

 

When you try to celebrate your new major:

Expectations:

 

But it’s a weekday, and nobody else is that excited

Realtiy:

 

When you go to your classes that are now in your major

Expectation:

Reality:

Even though it wasn’t as exciting as I expected it to be, I am still incredibly happy to officially have a college major. And, that’s honestly how it should be since it is my major and my decision; I should be excited about it. Additionally, although most people weren’t as excited as I was, I still celebrated with a coffee from Wiggin and a day of bliss. It felt good to celebrate an important milestone in my college career. So, Kenyon may not make a big deal about choosing a major, but you still can, and you should because you’re doing great things.

 

Image Credit: The Kenyon Collegian, Tumblr

Jenna is a writer and Campus Correspondent for Her Campus Kenyon. She is currently a senior chemistry major at Kenyon College, and she can often be found geeking out in the lab while working on her polymer research. Jenna is an avid sharer of cute animal videos, and she never turns down an opportunity to pet a furry friend. She enjoys doing service work, and her second home is in the mountains of Appalachia. 
Class of 2017 at Kenyon College. English major, Music and Math double minor. Hobbies: Reading, Writing, Accidentally singing in public, Eating avocados, Adventure, and Star Wars.