When I went to community college straight after high school, I was an art major. Halfway into the first semester, I hated it. I regretted having bought all the supplies and cried over the rushed decision I’d made in enrollment. I persisted through the rest of the semester with a plan to change my major as soon as possible.
I ended up changing my plans during both community college (visual arts to liberal arts) and university (mass communications/digital journalism to English.) Both times I kept consistent communication with my advisers, asking lots of questions and making sure I stayed on track with the new courses. This helped make for smooth transitions. It also allowed me to build good relationships with my advisers so that I felt supported.
Another change of plans happened when I decided to think more seriously about graduate school. For a long time, grad school had only been a suggestion that I had dismissed. It just seemed like something other people did, not me. Some kind words from my professor inspired me to reconsider. Right now, I’m still not fully sure yet but I will explore the logistics before I decide anything.
College plans don’t have to be set in stone. This is an important time in your life when you’re figuring things out. You’re allowed to have options. You just need to understand what they are. Of course, having options can also be scary because you might feel lost. So, whether you’re thinking about majors, grad school or any other new decisions, here are some tips to help.
talk to someone
If you’re experiencing any worries about your current college track, you don’t have to go through them alone. Find someone at your university who can guide you in the right direction. Advisers are a great place to start. University services are another.
Also, don’t be afraid to ask questions or worry about how you might look by having a lot of them. If you don’t ask, you’ll never know.
Attend any workshops or information sessions that might be of help, and don’t ignore those emails in your university inbox. No matter how you choose to go about it, it’s always better to talk your college-related worries through with someone who will listen and whose job it is to assist you.
BE OPEN-MINDED
Explore your interests and see how much they can do for you in college. If it’s for majors, consider your skills, what you’re passionate about, what you enjoy doing and what fields best accommodate those passions. If it’s grad school, think about your career goals, shop around for different programs and look into which ones suit your needs the most. Consider the options that might seem out of reach, even if you don’t end up going with any of them. Give yourself all the possibilities.
CUT YOURSELF SOME SLACK
Changing your mind is not a bad reflection on you. Sometimes it takes being a little deep in one college plan to find you’re actually more interested in another. Don’t consider that time wasted though because it’s all part of a larger process; finding out who you are and what you’re interested in. After all, that’s what college is for.
I don’t regret having been an art major or journalism major because while those fields interested me, I just didn’t want to pursue them professionally. I’m thankful to have landed where I am now, in a place where I’m both interested and happy.
It’s a great feeling when you decide what you want to do and can focus on finding the resources that will get you there. What nobody seems to talk about is that even when you get to this point, you’ll still be grappling with uncertainty sometimes. The key is not to panic. It’s more than alright to feel what you’re feeling but don’t let those worries overpower you. Try to get a sense of why you’re having them. They may be trying to tell you something.
Correction (10/9/2022): A previous version of this article included a typographic error by fault of the editor. It has been updated to correct the error.