Much like many other fresh faced high school graduates, I wasn’t entirely certain about what I wanted to study at university. I attempted to weigh the aspects of usefulness in the “real world” and what I was passionate about; and the final result was majoring in social work. I wasn’t entirely convinced it was for me, but I wasn’t left with many other options. After about a semester and a half of learning about the intricacies of social work, I was 100% sure that it wasn’t the right program for me, and I decided to change my major to English. Making the switch was nerve-racking because I wasn’t sure if I was making the right decision, but looking back, I have no regrets. So based on my experience, I’m going to provide you with a few signs that you may need to change majors.
You aren’t interested in the content being taught. This one is pretty obvious. You may find yourself falling asleep in class or daydreaming during lectures, but in the right program, you’ll want to hear every syllable that comes out of the professor’s mouth. When I was in social work I would constantly have to force myself to complete the assigned readings, desperate to close the textbook. Meanwhile, I tend to get excited when I read the syllabus for my literature courses, looking forward to the upcoming weeks when we would discuss certain authors. This isn’t to say that you will be constantly enthralled by the content in your ideal program; there have been many times that I’ve been bored to death during an English lecture, but for the most part, I love the subject matter and lecture topics.
You can’t imagine yourself finding a career in the field. While enjoying the content being taught is very encouraging when it comes to learning, it is undeniable that part of a degree’s purpose is to equip you for a career in a specific field. There can be many different career pathways for one program, and if you can’t picture yourself spending the rest of your life in that career, that’s a bad sign. During my year of studying social work, the thought of being a social worker gave me a lot of anxiety, but now I’m excited when I think of what my future career may look like.
You aren’t connecting with your classmates/professors. This might be an unusual point for some people, but hear me out. One of the things I was most excited about when starting university was meeting new people, but somehow I went an entire year without making any new friends or study buddies. Defeated but not thinking much of it, I changed my major, and within half a semester I had found myself a small friend group that I love hanging out and studying together. Another association that grew stronger when I changed majors was with my professors. I genuinely like the majority of my professors and interact with them much more often than I did in social work. While this may be a coincidence, I see it as being in an academic environment that I am more comfortable with and being around more like-minded students and professors.
Your grades and/or attendance are lower (than usual). It’s possible that you may be receiving grades lower than you’re used to, and this could have several different reasons that don’t have anything to do with the program itself. But if you find yourself struggling academically it could relate back to my first point: you just aren’t interested. It can be very hard to succeed at something you have little to no interest in. Furthermore, it may be a sign that you just aren’t very skilled in the subject, yet another reason why changing your program may benefit you. Your attendance also relates back to my first point as it can be quite difficult to find any motivation to attend lectures that you have no interest in.
Overall, knowing what program is right for you can be tricky. It takes a lot of self-insight and careful consideration to know what will be best for both your present and future self. Deep down I had always wanted to major in English, but I had outside voices telling me I would never find a job or be successful with an English degree, so I settled for something more practical. But after enduring a year of studying something I wasn’t passionate about, I realized that it’s so much more important to pursue something you truly love, and if I work hard enough I can be successful in any field.