Coming to college last fall, I was a Liberal Studies major with a concentration in Elementary Education. I was also considering adding a Middle School History certification. I didn't really have a reason for being a Liberal Studies major, it was just what everyone in my life had told me to do. I loved kids and learning, so how bad could it truly be?
Getting to college I realized early on that I hated what I was doing. My only education class bored me to tears and every time I would plan out my future classes, I would dread it. Being a teacher wasn't what I was meant to do, so I decided to change majors.
I knew that changing your major in college was a normal thing, but I was so worried that it would set me back and I wouldn't be able to graduate on time. I had come in with a decent amount of credits, but I was still worried. I didn't let it consume me though; I was unhappy and wanted a change. So that's exactly what I did.
By the end of September, I officially changed my major to Communication Studies with a Digital Media concentration. I really wanted to go into broadcast journalism, and this was what would get me there. I was so excited to begin my classes, but I was at a disadvantage. I was already behind in my major classes, so I had a lot of catching up to do.
Luckily for me, I was able to take 3 Comm classes my second semester of freshman year, which caught me up to everyone else. But then I decided to add a minor, which I knew would also set me back. I thought long and hard about what I wanted until it finally hit me: history. I had thought for a while about the possibility of teaching middle school history, but obviously, after I left Liberal Studies, I couldn't do that anymore. So I decided to add a history minor.
But once I added my minor, the unthinkable happened: I was ahead in my classes. Usually, when you change your major after you start classes and add a minor you get behind, but doing this only made me move ahead. I was already over 40% done with my degree by the end of my freshman year, even after making all these changes.
And thanks to coming in with a bunch of credits from high school, I am now the youngest person in all of my major classes. I'm a sophomore in classes with mostly juniors and seniors, and I'm on track to graduate an entire year early. I'm also only 2 semesters away from completing my minor, all because I switched my major!
So believe it or not, just because you change your major late or you add a minor (or 2), doesn't mean you'll automatically be behind and will graduate late. You really don't know what will happen, you have to put yourself out there! Give it a try, especially if you're unhappy with your current situation. You may even be able to graduate early.
