“I just feel so stupid,” I said to my mother over the phone as I sobbed.
I’d just gotten my chemistry exam grade. Needless to say, I didn’t do well.
Unfortunately, my tear-worthy grades commonly occurred during my freshman year of college. I wasn’t particularly good at science, yet I was an applied physiology and kinesiology (APK) major. Going to such a STEM-heavy school like UF, I felt the pressure to be a girl boss in the science, technology, engineering and math category.
I believed that if I told my parents I didn’t want to make a life out of something relating to science or business, they’d flip out on me and emphasize that I needed to pick a major that would guarantee me a good career. But I couldn’t take it anymore. None of my classes excited me, and I left all of them feeling confused and defeated. When I’d ask my friends for help, sometimes I’d just pretend to get it so they wouldn’t have to keep explaining it to me. I had no passion. Nothing clicked for me. I couldn’t stand being in college.
So, on that February day on the phone with my mother, I finally unleashed to my parents how I was feeling. To my surprise, they weren’t upset, and they were supportive of me changing my path. With that weight lifted off my chest, it was time to figure out what I actually wanted to do.
This wasn’t the first time that I’d changed my major, though. I’d already done it twice before, but the difference was that they’d all been in the same field.
I started off as a communication sciences and disorders major, but after realizing that it was a health science degree with a specialization, I figured it would be better for me to only be a general health science major. I still leaned more towards the pre-physical therapy route. However, I wasn’t guaranteed a spot in the college just by declaring that major and, to be completely honest, I didn’t feel like I fit in very well with everyone else there. So, I switched to APK.
Now what? All I’ve ever really tried was pre-health, and the opportunities within that are overwhelmingly endless. I’ve always been the type of person to thoroughly plan things out and take my time when it comes to decision making (it took me right up until the deadline to finally accept my spot at UF).
But for my latest major swap, it was out of character.
The day after I revealed my formerly hidden internal struggles to my parents, I made an advising appointment at the College of Journalism and Communications. It took only a 15 minute conversation with one of the advisers to sell me my new transition. I changed my major that day (yet again), with no other research to go off beyond that adviser’s words.
What did I choose? I selected journalism with a specialization in sports and media. That was it, I determined. That was my new career path. Did I have any previous experience writing for newspapers or magazines? Nope. Had I ever covered sports? Also no, but my justification was that I genuinely enjoyed sports.
While this may sound cheesy and cliche, I’ve never looked back. I know that this is what I’m supposed to be doing. I’m so much happier than I ever thought I could be, because I finally found something to be passionate about. Who would’ve thought that the person who takes 30 years to decide what she wants for dinner would make the best decision of her life on a whim?
So, if you’re reading this right now and are like me my freshman year, feeling miserable and uncertain, try switching your major. Maybe put a little more thought into it than I did. Follow your passions. Don’t let what other people think get in the way of your happiness.
If you’re not ready to fully take the plunge, I highly recommend what I call “major shopping.” Set up advising appointments with all the different majors that you’re interested in and ask the advisers to give you more information on what the major is all about and where you are in terms of credits for the major. If you have openings in your class schedule, take courses outside of your major that you’re interested in. You might just find the area that you’re truly passionate about.
Ask your friends and family for advice. The people closest to you might be able to give you some insight that you had never considered before. See what classes your friends are taking and find out if any of them interest you. These people can be a helping hand when you’re going through the adjustment of switching majors. It’s always important to have a good support system with you whenever you go through a big change in your life.
Join Facebook pages and GroupMe chats with people in the major you’re interested in, asking them how they feel about it to see if it would be a good fit for you. It’s always beneficial to hear stories or advice from someone who is in the middle or tail end of something that you are going to begin to get a feel of your potential future experience.
Remember, it’s completely acceptable to not know what you want to do with your life right now. Here we are, late teens and early 20s, expected to figure out exactly what we want to spend the rest of our lives doing. It’s ridiculous, I know. I’ve always envied people who decided when they were six they wanted to be a doctor and haven’t changed their minds since. Most of us aren’t like that, and we should take as much time as we need to figure it out. It’s unrealistic to be that put-together, and that’s okay. After all, that’s what college is all about, right?