<p>Why are students expected to know what they want to major in and do for the rest of their lives when they enter college? Of course, they say, "you can always change your major," but the truth is, one change of class and you are off track for graduating on time. It seems that major requirements are laid out so that if you change major, universities can just take more and more of your money. I hope I chose the right major!</p>
<p>I agree, it’s a ton of pressure. But I guess just follow your gut and make sure your actions are in tune with your mind </p>
<p>Thanks for the encouraging words. I agree that if you follow your gut, it can take you places. The only thing is that a lot of students don’t even know the half of what is out there and what is available for them to get involved in. Their dream job could be something completely different from what they originally intended, you know?</p>
<p>I think most students at least have an idea of what they want to do. You think you want to do Mech E, but end up doing CS? Well, the math/physics pre-reqs transfer over, along with all the GE stuff. You started off Psych and changed to Soc? So long as you find out soon enough, I think it usually works out.</p>
<p>Try out some different classes you think you’re interested in, but do it early on in your college career. Then if you change your mind, so long as it’s early and not too drastic, you can probably apply most of your coursework to the new major. You might also be able to sit in on classes/subjects that interest you (without actually enrolling) to see how it is.</p>
<p>If there’s just a couple of majors you’re considering, see if there are any common pre-reqs. If you take a soc class and end up majoring in english, will the soc class still give you credits? Do you have room for electives? Can you find classes that work for both (like maths or physics, if you’re a STEM major)? I always found it helped to sit down and write it out… not as a plan to strictly follow for the rest of college, but say “I could take these classes in the fall, these in the spring, these ones next year…” and look at how things fit, how much space there is, and what classes you absolutely need to do early so you’re not behind. You might end up with more space than you thought! This also goes for choosing between different sets of classes for different majors… physically write it out, see if there’s overlap, see how you might fit it together. It’s overwhelming at first, but sometimes analyzing the situation can make it a lot more doable.</p>
<p>Or if someone’s super uncommitted, going to a CC for a couple years could be a good idea. It’s cheaper, and classes are easier so you don’t need to worry about GPA/competition as much. I know some students do that so they can sample different areas they like, figure out what they want to do, and then transfer to a 4-year school after they have a better idea of what they’re doing.</p>