5 Signs That You Should Switch Your Major
Some students come to college knowing exactly what they want and sticking to their decision. Others have a vague concept of which area they might like and keep their options open. Then, there are those who have no idea what their major should be and try to figure it out on the go. All those options are valid but how to tell which one is yours? You don’t want to suffer through four years of angst only to find yourself with a huge debt and a degree your hate. If any of the below sounds like you, you might want to reconsider your major.
Coursework bores you to tears
It’s okay to dislike some of the subjects or some particular topics. Even the most enthusiastic students find some classes underwhelming and no one expects you to enjoy every assignment as much as a pool party. However, if you feel consistently bored with everything you are taught and paperwriting becomes a painful chore you avoid, maybe it’s time to face the uncomfortable truth. You must retain at least a spark of interest in your major.
Unrelated classes make your eyes sparkle
Having diverse interests and being excited about elective subjects unrelated to your major is okay. It makes you a well-rounded student and an interesting person. It may even prove to be useful in the future. However, if you would rather throw your major subjects out of your schedule to make more room for something completely unrelated, there is a chance you are in the wrong place altogether.
You feel stressed all the time
College is a stressful time for a number of reasons. New environment, time-pressure, tight schedule, money, relationships with peers, extracurricular activities – it would be unrealistic to expect that college life is absolutely stress-free. However, if you regularly feel that you must drag yourself to classes, you dread the tests, or you experience panic attacks every morning – it’s time to change things. Whatever made you choose this particular major, it’s not worth sacrificing your wellbeing.
Your grades are plummeting
GPA isn’t everything and I am not encouraging you to obsess over grades. Sometimes you can slack a bit. Maybe it was a particularly difficult time for you this semester for some personal reasons. Anyway, college is supposed to be challenging – you don’t get golden stars simply by trying. However, if you feel that you give your absolute everything and not getting any progress, maybe you should face the fact that you are not going anywhere. Maybe you just aren’t good at it. Find something that is more your speed.
You hate all of your instructors
There are cases when people just won’t get along with each other. Some of the professors have annoying habits, some keep misspelling your name to your utter embarrassment, some are snobs, and some are okay but for some mysterious reason seem to dislike you. It happens. The chemistry is just wrong. However, if you hate every professor in the department, this might be more than a coincidence. It might be that you actually hate your major and projecting your negative feeling on your instructors. Try to analyze your emotions.
Changing your major might seem like a step back. After all, it means that you will spend more money and time in college. However, it doesn’t mean that you have failed. It means that you are doing college right – you make your mistakes into lessons and learn things about yourself. After all, up to 50% of college students in the US change their major at some point.
