Hi, I recently committed to a college and put down my deposit at this school and was planning on going in undecided. Now, I am thinking that I might want to major in something that my school does not even offer! What do I do? I am scared that my parents will get mad bc I already put the deposit down and idk what to do!
Talk to your parents. Call the school you wish you’d said yes to and find out if it is too late. You likely will lose the first deposit.
How seriously are you considering this new major? What is the overall reputation of the school? Are you truly interested in attending this school, or are you getting cold feet? Specifics would help (school name, major that you’re interested in), though I realize that some people wish to keep details general. Do you have options if you back out and lose the deposit?
A deposit is a drop in the bucket in total college cost.
It’s rare to have an interest in a major. Interest in your major is great motivation to doing well and being happy in life in general.
Does the school you committed to have your interest as a minor? Is it an LAC? If you like the school and you can go for a minor, I think you’ll be fine. If, however, your new idea for a major is communications, engineering, or something more technical, you might want to rethink. It would be cheaper to walk away from the deposit than to get on the wrong path for a technical major. Hope that makes sense. LACs are flexible and provide a great well-rounded education, but are not ideal for majors that require specific, deep, technical knowledge. Think about your visits and what drew you to the school in the first place.
Agree, deposits aren’t usually a huge amount. Talk to your parents. I think most parents would rather lose the deposit vs paying for a whole year and then doing a transfer, possibly losing some credits in the meantime. Do you have other acceptances from schools with the major you are interested in?
Do not withdraw from the school you put a deposit on before you know you can still attend somewhere else! Talk to your parents, and contact the school you are reconsidering first. It is just a deposit.
What major are you considering? How similar are the schools?
I wouldn’t advise making major college decisions on the basis of most majors.
Unless it’s a very specific kind of pre-professional major (like you suddenly decided you want to be an accountant and your college doesn’t have accounting), your major isn’t necessarily a good determinant or even related to what you end up doing after college. Often, there are ways to study related or similar things and supplement through summer study or special extracurricular programs. Consider also how many times you have changed what you are interested in the past, and what your new interest is based in. Have you done any shadowing, visited any courses in the area, talked to any professors? Does your interest come primarily from reading things on the Internet? If it’s the latter, I wouldn’t think that’s a good basis alone to change your college choice on.
Your major is only one piece of going to college. What’ll actually be far more formative - in terms of your personal development and in terms of your career - are the kinds of experiences you have in college, and the access and resources you have too. You chose your college for a reason - so reflect back on those reasons.