Since you were old enough to comprehend words, people have asked you, "what do you want to be when you grow up?". It's all fun and games until you realize there isn't actually a 1200 class on how to be a princess, and there's definitely not a practicum for racecar driving. Unfortunately, college is not a Will Ferrell movie and you are not Ricky Bobby. Choosing a major can be stressful and the students of Otterbein won't be the first, nor the last to experience this.
More often than not, college students change their major at some point in their bachelor careers. According to a national study done by the National Center for Education, 50 to 70 percent of college students end up changing their major at least once in their undergraduate years. On average, students will change their major three times before graduation.
The greatest fear in changing a major is often time because, let's face it, paying for a fifth year’s tuition isn't exactly ideal. And with the rising cost of tuition, students are feeling more pressure than ever to finish their undergrads in fewer years. So how late is too late to change your major?
Junior Brooke Ashley didn’t switch from psychology to public relations until her junior year.
"I thought it was too late to switch and that I just needed to stick it out, but then I talked to my mom about it and she told me it's never too late to do something you're passionate about," said Ashley.
Ashley found that even after waiting until her junior year to switch, she was still on track to graduate with her class.
Parental discouragement seemed to be a trend as sophomore, Madi O'Neill, expressed her main concern in switching from Zoo and Conservation Science to Journalism and Media Communication with a minor in Art.
"Telling my parents was the hardest part. I was really scared that I would lose their support," said O'Neill.
To compensate for lost time, O'Neill took two summer classes to put herself where she needed to be, credit wise.
The most challenging thing about switching majors for these students seemed to be finding a way to make up for lost time while still trying to excel in their newfound major. Finding a balance between catching up on classes while really delving into all the new material can be challenging, but O’Neill shared that are many alternatives.
"Taking classes over the summer rather than trying to cram two semesters of classes into one proved to be a much easier solution," said O'Neill.
The same went for senior Tom Lindic, as he made the switch from Music and Business to Journalism and Media Communication. Lindic expressed both his and his parents financial concern with switching majors.
"I talked to my mom about it and she was said 'we don’t really have the money for you to switch from being a music major, I think you should just stick with it’," said Lindic.
Contrary to what his mom thought he should do, Lindic still made the switch. Lindic made up for lost time by taking 18 credit hours each semester until his senior year.
Switching your major at Otterbein University is a relatively simple process. As Lindic said, "All you have to do is go to Registrar’s office and fill out some forms."
These forms can be found in the Registrar’s Office, located in the basement of Towers. Near the front desk there is a filing compartment with various forms, one of which says "Request To Change Academic Program" at the very top. The form is very low maintenance as far as information goes, requiring a student’s name, student ID number and signature. There is a long list of the undergraduate majors and degree programs that Otterbein has to offer with a checkbox next to each.
For many, college is a place of self discoveries and realizations. What would be even more terrifying than changing your major six times in one semester would be to spend four years of your life learning about something you are not passionate about. As these Otterbein students talked about their newfound majors, there was a sense of excitement in their voice. Excitement for learning and excitement for the future.
When asked what they would tell other students who were also interested in changing their majors, they all replied with the same general statement that it's never too late to find what you're passionate about.
Weighing the cost of being a student
