“You’re majoring in theater? Theater?” I’ve heard this question a billion times. It’s usually paired with an “I’m concerned for your sanity and future financial situation” type of look. And then comes the inevitable, “Well…it’s good you’re following your passion.” Oh, boy. The words “following your passion” make me want to climb into my shell like an oversized turtle.
If there’s one thing I know, it’s that you do not become a theater major unless you’re passionate about it. But Fall Quarter of my freshman year, I sat through my first theater class and walked out on the verge of tears. What the heck was that? Do I hate theater? Because I sure did hate that class. And the fact that I hated the class was making me feel less passionate about theater. Back at my dorm, I told my neighbor that I think I made a huge mistake in choosing my major. She laughed. “I had my first chem class today. Worst thing ever.” Her major? Biochemistry. The struggle is universal. Sometimes, we hate a key class for our major, and it makes our passion start to burn out. Lucky for you, I’ve figured out how to prevent this unfortunate fizzle.
Remember Your “Why“
The quickest way to re-spark a passion is to remember why you love it. Why did you choose your major? Why is your dream job your dream job? When you’re chasing a broader, more meaningful goal, one mind-numbing class will have less of an impact. Maybe you want to save lives? Or change lives? Write down that “why” and whenever you’re feeling like you’re going to lose it, you can check back in for a reminder.
Have Wacky Side Hobbies
Did you go to the Enormous Activities Fair? Good. But did you just hunt down the section that was related to your major? I hope not! When you have diverse extracurriculars, you don’t get burnt out on one subject. If everything you do is related to coding, I hate to break it to you, but you might start to hate coding. Play intramural dodgeball or join a newspaper! Do something totally different with your free time, so that when you return to your schoolwork, it feels interesting and fresh.
Cross That Social Divide
There is nothing that makes me love theater more than hearing my STEM friends talk about their computer science struggles. It reminds me that, oh yeah, I do love theater! To me, the worst parts of theater are better than the best parts of, say, poli sci. You may not love your major all the time, but you can hate a major all the time. And I think I hate physics. All the time. (No offense to you STEM majors. You guys are brave. And I’m sure theater would drive you crazy). So, cross the north campus/south campus divide and make some friends who will provide variety from your major while also reminding you that you love it.
Make it Fun Again
Life is supposed to be fun, I believe. We didn’t come to school to get the joy of life sucked out of us. Do you hate that class? It makes you want to drop out of school and move into the northern Canadian forest? I’ve sure been there. What I learned is that a deep breath can go a long way and that bad classes don’t last forever. Focus on getting excited about your major again. Are you an English major who really liked romance growing up but is now only forced to read classics about old English businessmen? Assign yourself a romance book to read over the month. A history major who’s starting to hate history? Go off and watch National Treasure. That should fix it. Find space for your major to be fun again.
This is not to say that you shouldn’t ever change your major. Sometimes, the fit really is wrong. But if it’s just a class or two that you hate, hang tight to your passion because it’s a rare gift to know what you want to do with your life. You got lucky. Don’t let one silly little terrible class take that away from you.