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I personally believe all first-year college students should be declared as undecided majors. We should allow them the time to explore the college environment, take courses in subjects they may have never heard of before, meet new people with different perspectives. I think we have done a disservice to students by developing some major curricula that need to be started in the first semester, lest the student fall behind pace towards degree completion in that discipline. With many high schools having to cut back to the bare-bones subjects (mathematics, basic sciences, English, history/social studies, and foreign language) due to budget issues, most students don't have the opportunity to explore other academic disciplines before they arrive on campus. Many decide on a major by reverse method: I know I don't like this, this, or that, so I guess my option is X. Once they are exposed to other options, they begin to realize that their original choice may not be the best decision, thus provoking a change of major. There may be some downfalls of declaring a new major, such as being behind in sequential course work, but, I would venture to say, most students are more satisfied and perform better in the courses for their new major. Sarah Howard, academic advisor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, August 6, 2009 A student should be required to choose a major upon admission into a college. This will relieve a lot of the stress that the student may have concerning their future. If the student does not know what they want to major in, then they need to be advised on what major they would be best suited for. This can be accomplished through meetings with advisers and basic tests that assess an individual's character and personal learning styles. Students that enter into college without any understanding of their own interests and abilities are searching for an answer. It is in a students best interest to have a preconceived path to which they can see a positive outcome, this being an attainable major. Throughout the process they will waiver in their decision and certainly will consider changing their major. If they are performing poorly in their current major this would be a good time to consider another option. If they are performing well, then they may simply need some motivation to keep going. It is beneficial for students to explore different majors and take courses from different disciplines; this is why elective courses are encouraged and necessary. Students should never feel that they are stuck in a certain discipline nor should they feel that taking courses from a different discipline are a waste of time. The choices students make should always been evaluated by an adviser to ensure they are moving forward towards a goal. The decision to change majors costs students money and pushes their graduation date further away. Students can avoid this by meeting regularly with an adviser who has taken the time to get to know them on an academic and personal level while giving them adequate information about majors offered at the institution and giving them a clear path to which they can follow and be successful. Lindsay Robin, student, Southwest Minnesota State University, August 17, 2009 Students change majors because they are unhappy with the choices they made when choosing a major. They also change majors because parents push an idea on them of a certain career. Another reason that students change majors is because they can't take introductory courses in some disciplines until junior year. The last scenario is exactly what happened to me in my degree field. I had to take the preparatory classes and then my junior year I took another class in a different subject area and I knew I was in the wrong major. One “pro” for changing your major is you will hopefully be happier in the new program; therefore, you may be more successful in the career field you have chosen. Changing one's major will also make for a more diverse background in differing fields. One big “con” is that the student may lose financial aid if they exceed the allotted hours because they change their major. Ultimately, if a student changes his or her major and has a strong relationship with the school they may be more likely to donate to the school upon graduation. If I was told I had to choose a major my freshman year and I could not change that major chances are I would not return to school. I think that schools both high school and college need to do better job encouraging students to take career skills workshops and classes. Another option is to encourage students to job shadow in the fields they are interested in pursuing. I had a student this summer who thought he wanted to be an engineer and he did a few job shadows, including a few in the business field, and decided that he really wanted to be in marketing communications. Steven Carlisle, academic advisor and adjunct faculty, Illinois Central College, August 17, 2009 Helping students gain a better understanding of their interests and abilities and what is available within the curricula is always a good idea. But not at the expense of their flexibility to make changes that reflect their growing maturity, experience, and development. All too often high schools, parents, and college advisers pounce on students who are convinced about their interests and abilities and make rigid connections between those areas and the courses available in college. This makes a mockery of true learning, discovery, exploration, and experimentation. The role of the college adviser is to assist students to examine their choice of a major; to examine all the factors that may have contributed to making such a choice including parent pressure or expectation, counsellor recommendation, employment potential, access to romantic opportunities, and such. When a student declares a major area, the adviser should require the student put forward a compelling case to such study, not to prevent or approve the student's progress, but to help the student connect with the passion, talent, and dreams that propel any successful graduate to navigate the future. Changing majors should be seen as a hallmark of development; a benchmark of realization; or possibly a signpost of fear or some other emotional barrier. It can become for the adviser, an opportunity for deeper discussion about transitions, managing life changes, reviewing consequences, and ensuring that current reality as well as the future are more closely examined. Rey Carr, CEO, Peer Systems Consulting Group Inc., August 18, 2009 Students change majors, sometimes more than once, between admissions and graduation. Problems, including a longer than desired time frame for degree completion and financial aid issues might arise from a change in major. Building upon a previous response which suggested that students remain undecided during their first academic year, allowing them to explore various career avenues, and filling general education requirements could reduce changes in majors. A pre-internship requirement could also help reduce the number of students changing majors, specifically requiring students to take a for-credit class to shadow employees in-field of the student's career of choice. This could provide students with opportunities to gain exposure to multiple career choices depending on requirements of the pre-internship class. George Mikluscak, new programs coordinator, Vandalia Consultants, August 18, 2009 The Mentor is published by Penn State's Division of Undergraduate Studies Available online at www.psu.edu/dus/mentor/ Privacy and Legal Statements | Copyright | © The Pennsylvania State University | All rights reserved | |
