“Trust Me Freshmen, You Will Change Your Major!”

[Today's entry is written by guest blogger and fellow LA&B student advisor Nohemy Chavez. Click on her name for more info about the graduating CRD major!]

I have heard it before. Heck, I have lived it! You know, the “I have always wanted to be a (insert prestigious yet difficult occupation here)!”  I, too, was in that boat, coming into UCD wanting to be a Dietician under Clinical Nutrition. And, I too, was in denial and swore that I would not change my major. But I was wrong, and you possibly could too! According to Penn State, “up to 50 percent of college students change their majors at least once before graduation, and some change several times”  (Leonard 2009). And newsflash… it’s okay! Here are some steps to help keep you from large amounts of stress when you have that moment of truth:

1. Say it with me, “It is okay to change my major!”

2. Do some career exploration to figure out your skills, interests, and develop some goals. See a career counselor or take an assessment such as www.cacareerzone.

3.  Take your general education courses so that you are still working towards your 180 units for graduation.

4. Visit the academic advisors of majors you are interested in to find out about which courses you would be taking and what you can do for that major.

5. Once you know your interests or career goal, chose the major that relates and change your major!!

And remember, “up to 80 percent of students entering college admit that they’re not certain what they want to major in, even if they’ve initially declared a major” (Leonard 2009), so don’t be afraid and do what makes YOU happy!

Leonard, Michael J.  ‘Major Decisions…for students exploring majors’ Penn State.
http://www.psu.edu/dus/md/mdintro.htm April 2 2009.