If switching out of your program is something you’ve thought of before – it might be time to consider it.
Asking a 17-year-old high school senior what they want to do with their life can be an extremely intimidating question – especially when they’re trying to come to terms with who they are as a person. We narrow our selection of schools and programs based on ‘I think I would enjoy this’ or ‘I took this in high school and liked it’ and make our final decision, thus setting the path to the next stage of our lives. After university starts, it’s a whole different ball game. Classes are bigger, you’re meeting a lot more people, and you (sometimes) have no idea what the professor is talking about. A couple years into your program and you start to realize that you don’t actually enjoy it as much as you thought you would, or that one class you took in high school is not the same as an entire program in university and has completely lost its appeal to you.
The idea of switching programs was something that I had a difficult time coming to terms with. When I first started off with my original program, I really loved it. It was a smaller program full of great people that seemed so perfect for what I wanted to do because it gave me the opportunity to explore two different topics, with the option of pursuing either one (or both) as a career. As my time in university progressed, I realized that I wasn’t enjoying it as much. My interests were shifting in a way that suddenly became one-sided and I was beginning to feel limited in terms of my career options and what I really wanted to learn. Telling myself that this program was no longer the right one for me was tough to admit, but it was necessary to do so. The subject of “switching your program” isn’t a very popular one on campus, and can be seen as an example of failure to some. The usual response I got when I spoke to people about it was “yeah I’ve thought of it too, but I would never do it.” The ongoing debate over studying what you love or studying solely for a degree that will get you employed is something I can’t speak too much about as it really depends on who you are as a person and how you choose to make decisions in your life (specifically, whether you consider yourself a risk taker or like to play it safe).
Switching programs in my 3rd year of university was something that really scared me, but I knew that if I didn’t take the chance, I would risk graduating with a degree that I wasn’t interested in pursuing a career in. There have been a lot of ups and downs, but overall I feel a lot more confident in where I am today and what I am doing.
For those of you considering a switch, here are a few things that I learned from my first semester in a new program:
1. There’s a lot of administrative steps to switching, but the faster you get it done the easier it will be to get what you want.
You’re going to have to sign some forms, email/meet with a few people to determine your academic plan, and do a bit of running around to ensure that the right information is being received by the right people. It can seem stressful at first, but in the end it’ll be worth it. The faster you get this done, the easier your transition will be into your new program (*life hack* if you have any meetings with advisors or professors, go in knowing what you want and that way they’ll be able to help you better)
2. It will feel like you’re starting right from the beginning again
In some situations, you might actually have to start from the beginning depending on the courses you’ve already taken and what you’re choosing to switch into. You’ll be taking classes in buildings you may not be familiar with and you will be taught by professors you’ve never heard of, which leads me to my next point:
3. You won’t know anyone in your classes
There will be a lot of new faces. Like seriously, a lot. That’s OK though! Meeting new people is a big part of the university experience. If you’re someone who feels comfortable with the friends you’ve made in your first year, this will get you out of your comfort zone and expand your circle of friends.
4. It’s not necessarily going to be easier
This is actually something I was a little surprised to find out about. I had previously taken a few courses that fall under my current program and I always performed really well in them. I didn’t think it was going to be “super easy” going into it, but I definitely didn’t think it would be hard. At the end of the day, no matter what you switch into, you’ll still be required to work hard in order to do well.
5. You may doubt your decision some time along the way
It’s not an easy decision to make. Sometimes you’ll feel like you should have just gone the easy route and stuck it out with your old program. As long as you keep reminding yourself that you’re doing what’s best for you then you will be okay.
A lot changes when you transition from high school into university, including your interests and who you are as a person. If switching your program is a thought that’s been seriously popping into your head more than “just a couple of times,” it might actually be worth looking into. Ultimately, only you know what’s best for you and it’s always better to make an informed decision based off of research than to go on blindly with the constant “what if”. You never know where your decisions in life will take you.