A major decision

Why re-declaring can be a good thing

It’s okay to change your mind and change your major.

If you are a college student, then like me, you have probably changed your mind on what you’d like to study. 

That’s not at all uncommon in college. In fact, according to the University of Tulsa, college students tend to change their minds about their declared majors at least three times before even graduating from college.

Now, the question needs to be asked: is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Contrary to popular belief, changing your major can be a good thing. 

When I first came to Ferris, I was a business major. During my first semester here, I was sitting in my marketing class and I kept thinking to myself, “Man this is so boring. What am I doing here?”

If I had stayed in the same program, I knew that I was going to burn out quickly. As I was going through the motions that first semester, I kept thinking to myself, “Why am I spending my money studying something that I have no interest in?”

You see, studying business was not my idea, my parents were the ones who wanted me to study it. I understand why they would hae wanted me to study business. After all, outside of STEM, business is one of the most in-demand majors with the best job opportunities.

Business, however, was not my path to take. But, I had always loved the field of criminology. Ever since I was a child, all I wanted was to be a police detective. In fact, I have always felt that was my calling. 

During the middle of the fall semester last year, I decided to take a chance on my future and decided to switch my major over to criminal justice. And you know what? I’m glad that I did.

I went from slowly burning out  in school because I didn’t enjoy what I was studying, to enjoying my college experience. The ability to choose topics that you find interesting can vastly make the academic side of college not only more manageable, but also, dare I say, fun.

If you are currently thinking about changing your major, my advice would be, do it. Your time at Ferris would be better spent doing something that you enjoy. There is an old saying that if you love your work, then you will never work a day in your life.

Why not start your journey off on the right foot and go chase your dream by studying a major that you are passionate about, instead of the major that your parents told you to study?