As a senior in high school, you liked to think you had it all figured out. After officially committing to your college of choice, you thought you knew exactly what you wanted to do for the rest of your life. You declared your major, had your set group of friends, and had this vision of what college was supposed to be like. Then, like most things in life, what you experienced was something much different then you imagined.
Suddenly, all the things you thought you wanted didn’t make sense to you anymore. After taking a few classes, spending a lot of time on campus and around different people, you realize that these things are changing. You are surrounded by a new group of friends, questioning your choice of major and wanting to try things you never thought were for you.
As a college freshmen, I struggled with all of these things. I went into college thinking I knew everything I wanted. I knew I wanted to be a Psychology major because I loved helping people with their problems. However, after taking one Psychology class, I absolutely hated everything about it. I remember being terrified to change my major because I thought that I wasn’t good enough. As a commuter, I wanted nothing to do with extra-curricular activities on campus. I drove to school, went to class and left. My campus involvement consisted of me taking the train to NJIT on weekends. If you were to tell my freshmen self that three years later I was going to be a Communications major, a writer and a sister of a national sorority, I would have said you were crazy.
Change is a huge part of our lives. Some love change, and some hate it. However, no matter how you feel about it, it is something that everybody must face in their lives and what often makes us who we are. Every change in your life affects you in some sort of way, whether it is bad or good.
In a way, our college years are when we change the most. We are constantly being exposed to new things, meeting new people and being challenged in many different aspects of our lives. It is a time when we look back at our 18-year-old selves and wonder how we ever thought we had it all figured out. It can be an overwhelming time, but after three years of college, I’ve learned that embracing all these changes will help you grow as a person and make your overall college experience more fulfilling.
In other words, don’t be afraid to change your major if you aren’t happy. Don’t feel bad for spending time with a new group of people. Get involved in things you never thought you would. College is supposed to be the best four years of your life, and it is only by embracing all of these changes that it could be even better.
