Since high school, students have been told from a young age that they need to decide the major they desire before they graduate. Those who don’t know what they want to major in are considered and less likely to succeed, and the ones who end up changing their major are seen as indecisive. We as students were taught to believe in that in order to be successful, we had to decide our future before the age eighteen. Many students have been made to feel that changing their major wasn’t a typical thing to do when working on their future, but this stigma on majors is far from true.

When wanting to change majors, many people are hesitant to do so because they believe that they be seen as falling behind in their schooling. It is a very common occurrence to change majors during your college career. The U.S. Department of Education made a report stating that about one in ten college students will change their major at least once during their college career. That means that fifty to seventy five percent of college students will change their major at least once during their education. Changing your major does not necessarily mean you are falling behind in your studies, it is rather that you have simply learned that your skills could be used better elsewhere. If it is discovered that changing your major would put you further away from your graduation time, simply remember that it is better to take the time to study for the career choice you desire, rather than graduate with a degree you do not find yourself passionate or getting a job with.

The goal of this article is not to persuade you to change your major. Changing your major should be taken as seriously as picking your major in the first place. You do not want to make the mistake of changing your major without further research and thought, and then end up having to pay for classes you never needed credits for and postponing your graduation time. The purpose of this piece is to normalize and de-stigmatize students needing to decide their future right away, and then settling with a major you were never interested in. Students’ at UCBA who are unsure of what they want their career path to be, have the opportunity to major in UCBA’s Exploratory Studies Program. This program gives students the chance to take courses that they can discover their skills and interests in, without having to commit to a major!

In conclusion, if you find yourself unsure of what major would fit you best, don’t feel wrong with taking your time to explore and discover skills that may interest you. Changing your mind on what you want your major to be is not a bad thing at all. It simply means that you have progressively learned more about yourself in your skills and interests.