I love English. I knew in high school I wanted to study English in college. When I told my family, however, the first thing they all said, “Well that's nice, but what are you going to do, teach?" I could never (and still don't) see myself ever being a teacher - being responsible for someone else's child, cultivating and educating them, it's both scary and boring at the same time. I've spent 16 years in a classroom and I'm over it.
After listening to everyone's input on my life, I decided to apply to all my schools as a psychology major. I was told it was the easiest to get into school as, and the easiest major as well (a complete lie that I fell for, but we'll get there). So I applied to Temple and 9 other schools, got into all of them, and eventually committed here - great!
When coming, however, I knew I didn't want to do psychology. Again, the thought of it was boring and it wasn't enough to satisfy my mind. So I switched to CLA neuroscience. That was fine, but it was also another thing that bored me.
Being in CLA already, I had to take a language since i did horrible on the placement test. For some reason, I thought it'd be a great idea to become a Spanish major. While the classes were enjoyable, people in my life again said, “Well that's nice, but what are you going to do, teach?" So, as quickly as that started, it ended.
Second semester freshman year I decided to change my major to Economics within CLA. I was great at Econ in high school, so I figured it'd be easy in college as well. It was boring, and it wasn't what I hoped for.
Again, people at home said, “That's nice, are you going to work at a bank?" Those words scared me more than anything, but I gave economics another chance, this time in Fox School of Business. Unfortunately, while it wasn't as bad as before, I financially couldn't afford it, so I switched back to CLA until I found something I liked in the meantime.
Then, I finally found it. I wanted, like my aunt, to be a pediatric physical therapist. I like kids, just not long term. So this was perfect. I can spend an hour or two a day with each kid and try to help make their lives better.
Two F's later, I gave up on that dream - Health Professions was not for me.
Last semester, aka first-semester junior year, I was in a rut. The clock was ticking, I was closer to graduating than I was to entering Temple. I didn't want to do what I was doing. It was boring, uninteresting, and overall just hurting my grades and my mental health more than helping.
I read the Temple Bulletin almost every day religiously. I read through every major start to finish and finally settled. English. Not just English, but English with a creative writing concentration.
Finally, everything was right. I love to read, I like to write a little less than reading, but I'd take the creative writing classes anyway for my electives, so I just tacked on the concentration because why not.
I am happy where I am. It took me five semesters and a lot of wasted credits to find what I wanted, but it has all worked out. I like what I'm doing, I like the path my life is on right now, and I've stopped looking so far into the future and started just enjoying each moment.
If there are any incoming freshmen who are questioning what they want to major in, and they are having pushback from their family about what they truly want to do, listen when I say this: Do what you want.
You are the one doing it for the next 50+ years of your life. You know what will make you happy, so go for it.
And for those who are already in school, don't stick with something that makes you miserable just because you're “too far in" to change. Because changing your major 3 years in can create a lifetime of happiness.
