Advice from a Friend
Why Changing your major isn't so scary
BY LILA SWENZINSKI WITH ART BY MEGAN BORMANN
If you’re like me, you have probably thought about changing your major more times than you can count. To be honest, I still have doubts about my choice. Did I make the right one? Will I be successful in this field? Am I good enough? All of these questions have been running through my mind since I got to college, so if you have doubts too, just know you are not alone.
The truth is, many of us have more than one thing we are good at. In my experience, the rigid structure of high school was not exactly the right environment to generate confidence about choosing what to pursue in college, and eventually as a career. You don’t have to keep choosing the path you are on if it isn’t fulfilling, but it doesn’t have to be all or nothing either.
If you have anxieties about the process, it might be helpful to reach out to your advisor for advice. Or if you aren’t ready to fully commit to switching majors, maybe look into pursuing a minor or taking some classes outside of your major that interest you. Branching out like this may help you soul-search and become more confident in your interests.
I was talking to a friend about this recently, and she told me, “Trust that future you can handle the decisions that past you has made.” There is a lot of truth to this, but this is not to say that changing your major is an easy decision. Of course, it’s a difficult decision, but just know that you aren’t stuck in one place forever. College is for exploration, and we have our entire lives ahead of us. So make the right decision for you, when it is right for you.