Regardless of how far you’ve come in your academic career, switching majors in college can seem like a rather daunting prospect. You might wonder which credits will transfer, how far behind you might be and how much money you might have to spend.
For junior criminology major Kobie Layne, the concept of switching from economics, a STEM-related field, to his current degree-seeking status was personal.
Q: What was the decision-making process behind choosing your major?
A: I realized that economics wasn’t the right field for me; it was very math-oriented and I’m not really a math person. And then I realized that criminology made more sense to me, so that’s why I did it.
Q: What advice would you give students thinking about whether to make the shift from one major to another?
A: Don’t be afraid to be an undeclared major; there’s nothing wrong with it. Don’t force yourself into something you’re unfamiliar with because at the end of the day, you may end up wasting time and money.
Q: What do you think about the emphasis placed on STEM majors?
A: I think they kind of put way too much emphasis on them to the point where they don’t give enough credit. I feel like other majors aren’t given as much attention, resources or credit.
Q: Did you find greater overall satisfaction from having switched majors?
A: I’m completely satisfied. I think that switching majors was the best decision I’ve ever had.
Q: Do you feel like there’s enough transparency between the administration, teachers and students in deciding what major you can have and feeling like you’re able to change it?
A: They try to make it seem like you’re stuck there and that the process to change is really difficult and hard.
Q: If you could describe the process of switching majors, how did it lend itself to you and your circumstance?
A: The process of changing it is that you have to—for me, I had to because I didn’t know exactly where I wanted to go to. I switched into letters and sciences and with that there’s certain types of instructionals, if you will, that you have to go through and certain small, little classes that you have to take. I mean, it was that whole process—just making sure you keep on top of the stipulations and the requirements for that major that you’re trying to switch into. You need to make sure you’re on top of those things.