Changing majors is nothing to be afraid of

No matter if you are a new Freshman with the class of 2023, or a senior ready to complete your final semesters, it is okay if you do not know exactly what you want to do in the future just yet.  Sometimes, you may not know where to go within your major, or if you are even studying in the right field for you.  If you do have excitement and passion about your major, you are in a great spot, however, it is not the end of the world if you are unsure about it.

Changing your major once or twice during your four years, will not set you back, and can actually be the best decision you ever make. Everyone works at their own pace. Whether you are on track to graduate in four years, or need a few more semesters to finish, the finish line will always be there waiting for you at the end.

I am currently a senior at the University of Hartford, and for me, it took up until my junior year to finally know exactly what I wanted to do for the rest of undergraduate career.  When freshman year rolled around, I truly had no idea what major to pick. I did every quiz and survey you can think of that could possibly point me in the right direction. All of those surveys told me that teaching was my calling, so naturally, secondary special education was my first major.

During the second semester of freshman year, I then decided that education was a job I simply could not find myself loving.  It took me those two semesters to find out that I did not actually want to work within the school system.

I then transferred into the psychology department in search of something new come my sophomore year. Psychology was one thing I was always fascinated by because I thought learning about how the human brain works was so interesting.  However, the psychology field was still not giving me that spark of joy I was hoping for. It wasn’t the hands-on experience I imagined for myself.

I wanted to study a major that made me want to keep learning and hopefully develop a future career out of it. I ran to my advisor in East Hall and begged her to help me find a solution for my problem, but I walked out of her office disappointed and more confused than I had been in the first place.

From there, I wandered into the criminal justice department in Hillyer. There, I found a professor that was more than welcoming. He talked to me for two hours after his class let out, and really opened my eyes to see that maybe criminal justice was my calling. I saw myself taking the classes he was talking about, and getting more involved within that major.

Now, as a senior this year, I have found my calling as a criminal justice major. I knew from the moment the transfer application went through, that it was the right fit for me. I have professors that teach me new lessons every single day, an amazing advisor that continuously encourages me to look at different fields within the department, and classmates who are all interested in the same subjects I am. This was all because I wasn’t afraid to take a risk in changing majors.

I can remember how scared I was to take the jump from education to psychology, and yeah, it might be scary to jump into something that you are not used to, but without those risks, I would not have found the one major that makes me excited for my future.

So if you are reading this, and you are unhappy within the major you are studying, I encourage you to be bold, take a risk, and find your calling.  If you are nervous about being set back in you college career because of changing your major, I assure you, it will all work out in the end once you find your passion.

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