What college is the right fit for me? Are the classes large or small? Are there a lot of extracurricular to get involved in? What do the dorms look like? How is the food? These are all questions prospective students ask themselves when applying to colleges. But the questions do not end there, because perhaps the most important question they must try to answer is, “What do I want to major in?” For some lucky students, the answer to that question is easy. But for others, the journey to finding the major most suitable for them is difficult. How are you supposed to find the perfect major when you are still trying to find yourself? At the mere age of eighteen, it is completely normal to have no idea what you want to do with your life. But it is even more normal for you to change your mind about what you want to do. So don’t fret if semesters have passed by and you find yourself thinking that maybe it is time to make a change.
For those of you worried about making the switch, this statistic should comfort you: according to the University of La Verne, it is estimated that more than fifty percent of students switch their major once. But what is even more interesting is the fact that most students will switch their major at least three times before they graduate.
I, myself recently decided to switch my major from Theater to Communications. It was something I had been thinking about for a while and then all of a sudden, it just hit me that switching my major was something I needed to do. I realized a few things that helped me with my decision: I had always been interested in TV and film, rather than theater; I could do acting classes on the side since I have a passion for acting; and graduating with a Communications degree would leave me with more job options after graduation.
While I am still in the middle of the application process, my decision to switch is not one I regret. After I finally did it, I felt really happy and I knew I had done the right thing by switching.
I wanted to find out how other UMass students who had switched their major felt about their decision so I asked Olivia, a sophomore, about her decision to switch her major.
Why did you decide to switch your major?“After a semester as a microbiology major I realized it wasn’t for me and I missed art so I switched to architecture.”
Are you happy you made that switch? Do you feel like you’re in the right major now?“Yes! It’s a lot of work but I love my major now.”
So my parting words to you are this: if you feel like switching your major is what you want to do, then do it. You will always excel at something you love!
Good luck, Collegiettes!