About a month or so ago, I made it official and declared sociology as my major. This was a big step for me in my first year, as I have been going through tons of different possibilities since the start of the year. This is the story of how I got to this decision.

Back up to my junior year of high school, when I was so sure I wanted to go into engineering. I had always seen myself doing something with math or science, and it seemed like a practical option when it comes to career earnings. But I went to a week-long engineering camp summer before senior year, and came to the realization that the field wasn’t for me. I had what it takes academically, but I knew I wasn’t going to be happy.

So, I made the decision to enter my first year of college undecided. When I entered school, I still thought maybe I wanted to go into a science-related field, specifically biology, but I also found psychology attractive because it allows you to combine math, science and people. But biology involved chemistry, and tons of math. And psychology I did not have the opportunity to take until spring semester. And then I took introduction to sociology.

This class changed my world. It was a class that I had been preregistered into online over the summer, since I couldn’t attend orientation, and though I had the chance to drop it, I thought that I might like it. And I’m so glad I did. Sociology has changed the way that I view everyone around me, and my outlook on life.

In my heart, I think knew from the middle of my first semester that I wanted to declare sociology as a major, but this semester (spring of my first year), I took an intro-level psychology class just to make sure. I was immediately enthralled by all that psychology has to offer, but I attribute this more to the professor, and less to the material.

While I find psychology fascinating, it does not offer the holistic perspective that my mind has been craving ever since I have been introduced to sociology as a discipline. And thus, began a shift in my thinking. Sociology seemed to be an enticing option for me. I had figured out what I didn’t want to do, and in the process, had found something I truly loved.

There was no “Eureka!” moment for me. Nor was there any rush for me to declare my major. But the week before spring break this March, I walked into my sociology professor’s office, and said, “I think I’ve decided. What do I do now?” From there, I submitted the paperwork, and was approved within several days as a sociology major. While I am relieved to have decided my major, I want to emphasize that there was no rush, and my decision came naturally to me. Everyone’s journey looks differently. But I am a firm believer that everything will fall into place in good time. There’s no greater feeling than to be studying something that makes you tick, and no matter how or why you find that passion, I promise it will happen.