<p>Our D1 is a jr. Entered as a Marketing and Sports Management major. Added what the school calls a “Leadership Certificate” her freshman year and hasn’t changed a thing since. Can you tell she doesn’t like change??? It really is the perfect fit for her. Now D2 on the other hand should be interesting! She is the perfect engineer or architect candidate but won’t even consider either major at this time. Thinks she wants to combine business and bio when she attends next year. I think it will be interesting to see what she finally ends up with.</p>
<p>I have two kids and each went a different way when it came to the type of degree program she entered. </p>
<p>One entered a BA school…liberal arts…And was not ready to commit to a specific degree program prior to college. She thought she was interested in architecture and the options were to apply directlly to a five year BArch school or to do a liberal arts degree and then go to grad school for Architecture to earn an MArch degree. She chose liberal arts, though indeed did major in Architectural Studies and is now in her first year of Arch grad school. However, I think most 17 year olds are suited to a liberal arts path because the beauty of it is that college is the time for exploring and many are not ready to commit at 17 to a lifelong field. This D wasn’t, though in the end, did stick with her original intentions, though valued a liberal arts background and not a specialized degree from the start. </p>
<p>Other D has known what she has wanted to go into since nursery school. We never even discussed possible college majors…we knew what she was going to do for years. She applied directly into BFA in Musical Theater programs (which involves a huge commitment before entering as well as auditions to get in). It has been her lifelong passion and she has been immersed in it from a very young age. She is now a senior in that specialized professional degree program. She is still in musical theater, although her final three semesters are in an acting studio…which you could say is a slight change but not really because her field and career is still aimed at musical theater but she opted to focus more on acting in her last three semesters of training which is an option in her particular school. So, her field didn’t change but she did take the option of doing a different studio within her school for her final semesters. </p>
<p>So, both my kids have stuck with their original intentions but the one who entered the BA school had the options to explore anything and everything (open curriculum) and valued a broad education but she still stuck with her original interest area and never changed majors. The other daughter had to commit to her major before entering college and has not switched. Different kids, different paths. For many kids, a BA is best as it allows for no commitment at age 17. But there are some kids, like my D2 who know what they want at a young age and have been immersed in it enough to be able to make that decision. My older one had not done architecture as a subject growing up so was not ready for a full commitment yet. The other child’s interest area was one she had done her entire life and so she was ready to fully commit to it. A lot of fields you cannot even try until college.</p>
<p>Great thread!! Will give those parents who feel their child is “lost” some hope!</p>
<p>Older D -
Started out Biology/Spanish----->pre-med
Graduated in May with a degree in COMMUNICATION STUDIES </p>
<p>About a year and a half into college D came home over winter break all tearful - I HATE what I am doing!! We said, “But you are doing so well (all A’s)”. The ever mature person she is replies, “I’m not going to do poorly just because I hate it - I have my gpa to think about”. We asked her what in her short 19 year life had brought her great joy. She, again through tears, said, “I really liked organizing the canned food drive every year at school”. GEEZ!! Scared us there for a minute - we thought we were going to have a D who went door to door begging for food as a job!! Don’t think many schools offer a major in that!! She was the chair of a city wide canned food drive for 3 years and improved the event to such an extent during her time that she is still a legend in our town! We talked it through and came to the conclusion that collecting canned food was not really what she liked about it - it was the organization of it, it was talking to businesses and getting them onboard, it was talking to a foundation and getting them to match monetary donations, etc. Also throw in there she was a three time national debate qualifier, excelled at forensics, etc. She went back to school and changed her course that January.</p>
<p>When D graduated in May we went to 7-8 ceremonies due to all the honors she accumulated - top student in the communication studies department, Phi Beta Kappa, one of only ten (out of 3,700+) seniors graduating to be named a Chancellor’s Scholar (marched with the Chancellor and sat on the podium during graduation, etc. - very cool), graduated with highest honors, etc. Guess she found her “niche” even though DH husband STILL laments, “She would have been a great doctor” - he is a physician. I have to remind him that yes, she would have been a great doctor, but she will now be a great something else!</p>
<p>My dear sister is in a tizzy because her sophomore son is already wavering.<br>
Started in chemistry, is now shifting to maybe history, also likes political science. The problem my nephew has is that he is so darn smart he is good at everything (NMF, pres schol semi, 2390 SAT - one try, etc.)!! How does someone like that settle on one thing?</p>
<p>A retired teacher told my sister for her son not to worry about his major yet.
Just try to figure out -
- What are you good at?
- What are you NOT good at?
- What do you love (subject wise)?
- What do you hate (subject wise)?</p>
<p>If you try to get those down, something always rises to the top. My dear BIL went the route of majoring in something he was good at but didn’t necessarily love. He has spent his life at jobs he hates - he is advising his son to not take the same route.</p>
<p>Well when my D toured Reed, she said she was interested in a pysch degree, since she didn’t want to sit in on a calc class. 
But with the sciences, you pretty much start taking your pre-reqs freshman year if you want to graduate on time, so she knew she wanted a bio degree.</p>
<p>Very few people that I know from her school actually changed majors dramatically and the only one who was a double major ( which wasn’t really a double major but he had to do a double thesis I think, and two junior quals) was her senior year roommate who got a degree in biochem and molecular bio. generally the double majors had overlap, like physics and math. If they wanted to double major or even change majors, they often changed schools.</p>
<p>Oh her friend who skipped high school, earned degrees in Russian, Physics and Anthro ( one is a minor), I think she is now at Georgetown law school, after all that university study she took several years off to volunteer in Azerbaijan and decided she needed background in international law to further help the country she grew to love.</p>
<p>My nephew changed majors alot, first he was getting a degree in fire science, then business, & maybe pre-med for a while after pressure from his dad but I think he changed it back to fire science as his goal is to become a fire chief.</p>
<p>One of her current roommates earned a degree in anthropology, but his job during and after college was a EMT- then took certification to become an EMT_ paramedic and is now studying to become a physician asst.</p>
<p>Of * my * friends, I don’t know if any of them ended up with the degree they started pursuing or even at the same school, which helped when D had to take a year off after junior yr. One took nine years to get his Ph.d in stats & others ended up in fields very different than what they started in.</p>
<p>S has been in college for 4 weeks. He immediately dropped Bio to take a theater course and then tried to get into an upper level creative writing course (God helped with that one - he didn’t get in).</p>
<p>I “joked” with W that we’d get the phone call: “Uh, Dad, just wanted to let you know I’m going to double-major - in Theater and Creative Writing!”</p>
<p>W was an English major; History for me; D’s an English major. We were hoping someone would support us in our old age. Another galactic joke on us.</p>
<p>Twists and turns:</p>
<p>My sister started out wanting to be a Geology major. After three unsuccessful attempts to pass Physics, and a magical quarter abroad in Spain, she became a Spanish major in the middle of her junior year. Thanks in part to poor advising, she had to take a part-time fifth year to complete her new major requiirements, and while she was hanging around she got a 20-hour/week job with a stockbroker, which ultimately led to an extremely successful career as a portfolio manager for mutual funds.</p>
<p>My best friend from high school and college went the reverse path: He started out thinking he was a History major (sort of by default), took Rocks for Jocks in his fourth semester to meet a science requirement, and fell in love with Geology. It took some scrambling, and some flexibility on the department’s part, but he graduated on time as a Geology major. Over the next 20 years he went to law school, and then was a business litigator, Senate staffer, political campaign worker, Outward Bound instructor, hired crew on a boat sailing across the Pacific, and ultimately senior staff at a big environmental nonprofit.</p>
<p>My wife entered college thinking that she wanted to be a clinical psychologist working with autistic children. By her third year of college, she had completely soured on Psychology, and switched to American Studies (which was the best rubric under which she could study women’s history at the time), although she was only one course and a senior thesis shy of meeting the Psychology requirements, so ultimately she double-majored. About 20 years later – having gone to law school, practiced law, and then become a public health official – her career morphed into becoming an expert on early childhood education. She now uses the parts of the early psych training that bored her most every day.</p>
<p>Then there is the student who doesn’t change what she wants to do, but changes where she wants to do it: My niece was very focused on dance. She started out at Bard, but disliked the dance teachers there, and didn’t love the school in general. Over the next five years she was registered at times at four different colleges: UMass-Amherst, University of Washington, Western Washington University, and one I don’t remember whose study-abroad program she took. The one that ultimately stuck was Western Washington, from which she graduated with a BFA in Dance and a BA in Creative Writing.</p>
<p>Interestingly, few if any of my children’s friends are taking similarly swervy paths. So far, all of them have pretty much stuck to form (fairly definitively for my daughter’s friends, who are mostly seniors or recent graduates now).</p>
<p>I worry about kids getting a chance to fall in love with disciplines that they don’t encounter in high school, and that don’t sound lucrative (like economics or biomedical engineering). Who starts college thinking he wants to be an Anthropology major? Or Serbo-Croatian?</p>
<p>DH started out in physics… almost switched to computer science… ended up getting a PhD in - French literature.</p>
<p>Niece started out in engineering… switched to comparative literature. Will be applying to med school.</p>
<p>My mom was 6 credits short of her biology degree, with plans to go to vet school, when she decided she’d rather do social work and started over. She absolutely loves her job, even though it doesn’t make nearly as much money.</p>
<p>I’m currently at the beginning of my sophomore year, but already my plan has looked like this:
Musical Theatre/Nursing double major
Nursing major, music minor
Psychology major, music minor
Organizational Studies/Music double major, with plans to either post-bac a nursing degree or go to grad school in education.</p>
<p>Senior daughter graduating in May applied to specific architecture programs with portfolios and was accepted to all. She thought long and hard about it and I mentioned there could be a possibility she might change her mind. If so, better to be at a school where that was possible and she would not get to experience these 4 years again so choose with that in mind and be mindful of her relationship with her college sport/coach.</p>
<p>So she went, a school with an arch program and a coach she could tolerate! The coach was fine the arch program was not for her. So after 1 semester she became a Classics major with a Latin and Dance minor as a PRE-MED.</p>
<p>Change has stuck and her 4 years at an OOS public is far, far away. But she choose wisely as far as the school and the many opportunities it has afforded her. Uni has a med school attached so she has had some great paid research work, internships and the contacts/resources/classes she needed for med school. And at what I consider a large school she has managed to get the “big fish in a small pond” treatment. She was able to keep her full academic scholarship while taking some academic risks and will graduate with highest honors including an additional honors thesis.</p>
<p>This from the girl with a HUGE reading disability. Rather she and the school surpassed expectations and my baby girl isn’t my baby girl any longer. Sniff, sniff. She went from someone who sketched and dreamed and went to double practices to someone who implements her reseach and that of others. She still dreams just not of buildings but rather cells and cancer, while still enjoying greek and Latin…go figure.</p>
<p>My boys that is a whole 'nother post!</p>
<p>Kat</p>
<p>I’ve taken the scenic route and barely have time to graduate on time :-).</p>
<p>Started possible physics/math double, music minor, possible astronomy minor
Philosophy major, German minor, music minor
History major, German minor, music minor (study abroad in Germany)
And the final answer is physics as a major (no minor… just less than enough courses for one in philosophy, German, and music)</p>
<p>I considered engineering along the way, and still don’t know if grad school in physics is right (maybe law school?).
I’m definitely the type of person who comes across a subject they like (most every subject, in fact) and decides it should be one of their majors/minors. Physics just struck me as the subject I couldn’t bear to not study.</p>
<p>D began as a Music Performance Major (flute).Decided soph year she was chafing under the “baton” so to speak and wanted music but something different. Kept performance soph year, added a non profit management minor with the idea of music management.Hated those classes (business just isnt her thing).Junior year dropped performance became music history major.Had a love of research all along. Scrambled to catch up on the different reqs (languages,etc).dropped the non profit stuff.
Continued with a womens studies minor which she was doing all along.
Tied it all up with her senior honors thesis ,a women in music topic.Graduated summa with outstanding student award from the music dept.
Persuing her PhD in Musicology (4th year, about to take the qualifiying exam)
Dissertation topic is a specific woman in music.It’s come full circle for her,shes happy as a clam,but there was major angst along the way between the soph and junior years.
S (Junior,undergrad) has stayed on course with his Sports Management major from day 1 and seems content. Likes to balance those classes (management,business,etc) with the interesting,diverse honors seminars his college offers.We’ll see where it all leads but he’s way immersed into the major now, having done one internship already, planning another, working on an industry conference,etc.</p>
<p>S1 now a senior in college. His plans did not change, started as Chem E major, still Chem E major w/biochem emphasis.</p>
<p>Change is in direction of post grad plans. Originally was going get the BS and a job. Now applying for PHD programs in BioChem E. Plans to get PHD, work in pharma research for “awhile” then return to university setting as a prof. </p>
<p>Here’s hoping SOMEDAY he will be out of school…</p>
<p>Dragonmom -</p>
<p>Thanks so much for giving us such great terminology!</p>
<p>Applied to college as Chemistry major.
Enrolled in college as Physics major.
Graduated as Classical Archaeology major.
More undergrad work in Agriculture.
M.S. in Soil Fertility.
Current graduate level studies in Teaching English as a Second Language.</p>
<p>Yup, still on the “scenic route”. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.</p>
<p>My D left high school intending to eventually go to dental school. That summer, she realized how much she dislikes science. After much deliberation, she decided that being good at something isn’t necessarily a reason to study it. She likes psychology, so thought that might work for her. Investigated careers in psych & decided not to go that route. Decided sociology was very interesting, but found her school lacking in what she wanted to pursue. Transferred to another school, where she chose her classes based on sociology major. Got bumped from 2 classes & in the process of rescheduling discovered an unusual major that piqued her interest: Medicine, Health, & Society. At this point, she isn’t quite sure what she wants to do after she graduates. She is considering a 4/1 masters program in that area, as well as the possibility of law school after the masters is completed. When asked what D is studying, H tells people & then says, “…this week.”</p>
<p>Neighbor girl was going to be a doctor. She somehow ended up majoring in broadcast communications. She had a job lined up at a tv station, but she decided to stay in Dallas with her boyfriend. Since tv broadcast requires the flexibility to move as needed, especially early in one’s career, she looked for other work. She fell into a job as a wedding planner & loves it!</p>
<p>I’m finding this thread very interesting! Thanks for starting it, Cur!</p>
<p>I’m enjoying it, too.</p>
<p>I’m in my mid 40’s, have had many twists and turns and expect my career to change directions unpredictably a few more times before it is all over.</p>
<p>Changing majors in college (several times) is good preparation for real life.</p>
<p>My now freshman D probably made her first change during senior year, when she decided NOT to pursue music performance (we’d spent the previous year doing two parallel college research projects and tours, since she couldn’t decide which way to go). In the end, she was not ready to make a total single-minded commitment to music and couldn’t imagine giving up her beloved humanities. Started 4 weeks ago as an English major, with Philosophy and History in the background. Announced last week an emerging interest in film studies and is so excited about the smorgasbord of courses on offer that she’s already starting to plan spring semester. I think she wants to sample a little of everything! No idea where she’ll end up. And that’s okay with H and me, we both support the idea that undergrad should be about exploration, variety, and learning/discovery.</p>
<p>My daughter started as a music major (vocal, BA not performance, although she was accepted into the performance program). Middway through her freshman year, she had a meltdown when I was visiting, declaring her love of music but not of music as a major. Working extensively with her advisor, the music department chair, she developed and received approval for an individualized BA in global music and cultural relations.</p>
<p>She’s now in her junior year, and over the past year has discovered a great affinity for women’s studies/issues. It’s unlikely she’ll be able to squeeze in a women’s studies minor at this point, but all the “cross-pollination” due to her individualized BA has led to some remarkable relationships across departments. Her advisor is with the music department, her primary honors thesis advisor is from the English department, her second reader is likely to be from the sociology department, and she is the poli sci/international studies department’s student rep to an academic subcommittee for international studies. She still considers the music department “home”, but she’s feeling far less cloistered than she did that winter day her freshman year.</p>
<p>I graduated high school without a clue of what I wanted to do. I’ve loved science all of my life, but after my junior year english course (AP Lang and Comp), I fell in love with studying literature (I had also always been a ravenous reader)…so my college counselor at school told me to start with engineering because it’s easier to switch into the humanities than into the sciences if I decided to switch.</p>
<p>My journey:</p>
<p>First Semester: Undecided Engineering (Probably Aerospace) + 2 random English classes that I took for fun and ended up loving.
Second Semester: English Major + Physics Minor (took Calc III)
**Sophomore Fall: **English Major + Religious Studies + Education (random supporting courses for grad school)
Sophomore Spring: English Major + Education
Junior Fall (and hopefully the final plan): English Major + Spanish Minor + Education Supporting courses</p>
<p>I’m very glad I went to a big university that offers pretty much everything. I know 1 other Engineering major who switched to English, and two Bio majors that I convinced to make the switch.</p>