Changing majors Options

[Melissa]

This is kind of hard for me. All my life, I've been told that I was going to be a doctor. Yeah, I enjoyed anatomy class in high school, I really liked interning for an ENT, I would live an excellent life as a doctor, it sounded like a good plan so I went with it.

The thing is, I'm not really interested in it. I hate chemistry, biology, AND physics. I'm trying to be a Neuroscience and Behavior major because I thought I would be interested in psychology and because its requirements overlap with the premed requirements. And yeah, I do like psych, except it isn't enough to make me actually want to go to class. I have no motivation for it whatsoever.

I was thinking about this through the span of the year and feel that I really ... don't want to be a doctor. I'm more interested in writing and studying human rights, sociology, maybe even political science. The problem is that ALL of my classes I took this entire year go toward the premed/psych path and I'm not sure if it would be wise to switch at this point.

I'm going to email my dean about this and see if it would work out, but then there's the parents to worry about. My mom is crazy and I highly doubt she'll pay my tuition if I decide not to be premed. The one time I brought it up, she bitched at me, saying that if I wanted to "waste my life," I should've just gone to Baylor (I got a full ride there, but seriously... BAYLOR??) instead of choosing Columbia, which is expensive as f**k.

I just know that if I look ten years into my life, I see myself as a journalist, an author, something that has to do with writing and debating. Maybe even a lawyer. I DON'T see me working in an operating room and being on-call nearly 24/7. It's just not me.

I don't know. This is sort of a rant... and me wanting encouragement. I'm not sure how I'll work through this.

[icecreamisyummy]

my mom wants me to be a nurse and i thought i wanted to be a nurse too but i really idk what i wanna do.

it happens to a lot of people though.

youll figure it out in time though

[SimplicityGirl]

I went through that this year--except it was from aspiring to be a teacher switching over to (hopefully) nursing.

I simply don't believe that you should be forced into going into a career that you're not interested in. Life as a doctor isn't all its made out to be--yes, good pay, stable source of income, a very well respected job in society, and would likely bring your parents a lot of pride. But honestly, if you just can't see yourself being a doctor, then all that is nothing to you. You may get the prestige, the money, and the honour, but really, I think that it's a horrible way to spend a good...half of your life or more doing something that you don't enjoy. I'm not saying that you have to absolutely LOVE what you do job wise, but it should be something that you find somewhat appealing to you.

I'm sure you can switch out to journalism, and as far as money goes, if your parents won't foot the bill, go apply for student loans. God, I really hate it when parents use tuition as a means to trap their kids into doing what they (the parents) would like the kid to do. I also equally dislike it when the kid wants to do something entirely different than what their parents wished, and have the parents call that a "waste" or something equally degrading. We all can't be doctors or lawyers here. Neither do we all WANT to be doctors or lawyers.

In the end, its YOUR life we're talking about, not your parents lives. I would rather do something that I WANT to do, then have my parents forced me into doing something that I can't even tolerate.

[queen]

if you had asked this four years ago i would've told you to go with what your heart says and switch majors now.

but having personally gone through that mistake more than once, i think it's better for you to pursue your career as a doctor. really, it's not that bad is it? obviously, you have the brains for it, and up to this point, you've had the determination and discipline to take on this path. it could be you're just having the typical college jitters about your future.

my aunt used to tell me, "it's just a few years of stress, pain, and no sleep." and i used to think that was crazy. but if you think about it, you're really lucky to be in the position you're in now. you can't even imagine how many students switch onto other majors to "find" themselves, only to want to get back into premed.

i highly regret switching paths, and honestly, if i had stayed on premed, i would probably be doing my residency right now.

of course i agree that being a doctor is not for everyone, but once you finish, you could work for a couple years, save a shitload of money, and then pursue whatever the hell you want. isn't it better to have that kind of advantage than to be one of those people who aren't in your position and don't have the luxury to even consider this lifestyle? and you're in columbia! i mean it's not even that you're in some community college taking credits in order to pursue premed. you're already where a lot of people want to be. you should really take that into consideration.

sometimes you just gotta take the harder road for a while in order to get what you truly want out of life. i can speak for more than a handful of my personal friends who are also faced with this dilemma, and we all say, "i wish i listened to my parents."

and about this whole wanting to do what you "really want" in life --in the real world, this rarely exists. people don't know what they want to do even after they already think they know what they wanna do. how would you know that a year into journalism if you won't hate it? how would you know that a year being in the operating room you won't actually feel enlightened and satisfied with your line of work? i no longer believe in "being what you really want to be" because from my experience, and the experience of many others, there's no such thing. there are always gonna be hard times in your life. there are always gonna be some happy times. what i've learned the most, however, is that the people who pursued something they thought they didn't want are happier than most of the people who are doing what they believed they love. happiness isn't just about doing something that interests you. it's about having the stability to support yourself in any situation and having the means to have the freedom to do whatever you want. so i guess in the end, i do believe (for the most part) that money=happiness.

[Teesa]

wowww, you sound SO much like me. almost exactly.

so, i was taking my pre-med requisites while being a psych major during my freshman year (which was last year) when i realized that i might have been living what my parents wanted me to do, instead of what i really wanted, which was to write and travel and in short, become a journalist.

this year, my sophmore year, i took a break from pre-med requisites (but still continuing my psych degree) and started taking a couple of journalism classes until i got into the journalism school this semester. BUT i realized that i also might want to go down the medicine path after taking this break.

so, i am double majoring in psychology and journalism (both which are equally interesting to me in so many different ways) and continuing my pre-med reqs next year.

basically, what i am trying to say is-try not to regret anything in college because THIS IS YOUR LIFE. take what you're interested in and what you feel would be best for you. as for the money issue, there are so many student jobs, etc. on campus. and i am sure that you can get scholarships because you seem like such a smartie ;)

[Melissa]

thanks queen, that was actually exactly what i needed. i'm planning to stick with the premed concentration now and perhaps major in something that i'm more interested in, so it's a bit of a compromise. i think i was just feeling a bit down and upset because i'm not doing as well in my science classes as i hoped to be doing.

but i'll work harder next year!

thanks guys!!

[DoubleJ]

I am going through the same thing. I am going into college fresh as a 21 year old, and although I want to major in marketing, my passion is firefighting. I ran it by my mom, and she said no, you should do business are you silly. My school offers fire science and Business as majors, but I am not sure if I should double major or not. I guess this summer will help me figure out what I want to do.

[Just_Dream]

omg I know what you mean, Melz. The only differences are:

- I'm already 2 years into this, so I have to follow through with it.
- My college tuition is like < $10k
- FAFSA allows me to go to college for free
- I'm going pre-dental, not pre-med

I also like writing, and I'm really interested in Political Science. Actually, I'm probably going to go change my major when I have the time. Fortunately, I can still go pre-dental because I'm already completed over half the required classes, so it will not be so bad. Political Science is like one of the easiest majors -- classes can be completed in 2 years, and you can get your bachelor's degree at my university. So technically, I would still be able to graduate in a total of 4 years if I go pre-dental and change my major to political science.

I don't know how it will go for you, since your parents are so high-strung on having you go pre-med. My parents still want me to go pre-dental, and I'm still planning on doing it, but I still would not mind going to law school either. I'm actually doing really well so far in my political science classes, so I will see what happens next year, when I take on an internship at a dental office.

Hopefully you can persuade your parents. I mean, you should definitely do something you're interested in, and lawyers make really good money. Granted, depending on what you do, you may STILL be required to take on many hours, but if you're really interested in that career field, doing something you'll enjoy will definitely be so much more worth it.

Plus, plenty of people change their majors after a year. I suggest talking to a counselor or academic adviser about different options and how you can still graduate in a total of 4 years, if you plan to change your major. Good luck. ;x

Pssh, smarty pants @ a smarty college!

[fig]

I can totally relate to this topic. Except, well, the opposite.

At the moment I'm signed up as an English major for when I start my freshman year in August. And I love writing. I think it's a beautiful thing to be able to transfer commonplace ideas into strings of words that sound wonderful together; I like when a mere sentence can send chills down my spine. But there aren't that many careers you can have with a English major. Perhaps I haven't done enough research, but I think my choices are: a) being a starving writer living on those old cans of lima beans and vegetables everyone donates because they don't want them, or b) be a teacher- and I'm just about the least verbally articulate on the planet. I've thought about publishing, but I don't know enough about it to pursue it seriously.

Lately (lately as in the past few months) I've really been thinking about what I want to do with myself in the future, and I want to help people. Don't laugh at how ridiculously naive and idealistic this is: I want to double major in biology and sociology and after med school I want to go to Africa, make things happen, save lives. Perhaps I'm just going through a phase, but nothing in the world sounds like a more fulfilling, meaningful life at the moment.

[*paperplane*]

Well, when I was tentatively an English major, I had editing in mind. That doesn't pay a whole lot either, though.

I've pretty much come to terms with the fact that none of my interests have any practical basis in the world. I keep changing my major, or thinking about changing my major, but in the end I'm pretty much going to end up with something really useless and liberal artsy regardless. I'm not stupid, but I don't have the aptitude or the interest to do anything involving science or math, which rules out medicine, engineering, business, etc.

[fig]

Editing? As in "Oh, you've forgotten a semicolon here!" editing? I don't think I could ever commit my life to the study of where a colon is supposed to go or the way to internally cite an essay. I mean, I understand they're important to the field of English as a whole, but the basic purpose of literature, I've always thought, is the ideas that are expressed in between the letters and punctuation marks, you know. Like that one e.e. cummings poem. It's not the syntax of things that matter as much as the content.

And I used to be dead set on having a virtually useless major until recently, really; . Basically the things I'm most good at are the things that don't necessarily have a basic, fundamental purpose that is absolutely essential to the survival of mankind, albeit they are enormous parts of everyone's lives, and the most beautiful ones, at that- you know, literature and writing, art, the study of history, things like that. I don't really think it's the intelligence level that determines whether you go into the liberal arts or not, just whether you like it or not. It's just a matter of preference. Some people like aeronautical engineering. Good for them, I can't stand that stuff. I'll stick to my passion for social problems and people.

[Just_Dream]

fig - have you taken any science courses yet? It's good to take a variety of courses at once, to see which one fits you best.

Man, I wish I could study what enzymes or compounds produce the sweet smell of durian... *sigh*

[*paperplane*]

I can't imagine it would be very appealing to most people, but I'm rather fond of punctuation. As it is, though, I'm having a hard time seeing myself dedicating my life to anything in particular.

Oh, I agree. I didn't mean to suggest that intelligence would determine which field someone would pursue. It should be by interest, but whereas some people would suitable to follow any path they so desire, I feel that I'm fairly limited because I cannot make myself do something I'm not interest in, even if it were for the greater good. I like to study social issues, and think about how to theoretically solve them, but actually contributing through something like biology seems like unrealistic for me.

It's all just sort of depressing. I thought that going to college and taking more classes that I'm interested in taking would help me figure out what direction I want to take my life, but everything is still so requirement oriented that I feel absolutely no closer to having any idea what I might possible want to do with my life.

[fig]

I haven't taken any college classes yet, of course, since I'm just now finishing up my senior year. I've taken AP Bio and Anatomy, and the classes fascinate me (I'm more interested in genetics and infectious diseases more than anything, really, but you can't major specifically in those, can you?), but I don't think the limited amount of information you're fed through high school is enough to truly measure your fondness of the subject. I'm fairly certain I'll enroll in a variety of subjects once I've started up in college, however.

And Nicki, I completely agree about the hesitance in declaring a major. The concept of a single major is completely ridiculous to me. There are just too many fields of study in the world, it's unimaginable to have to limit yourself down to one or two. Not to mention that I get worried about what I'm going to do myself so easily; without the benefit of peeking into the future, it's so easy to get terrified of all the potential mishaps that could occur, and how much you'll like your field, et cetera.

And it's completely ridiculous to major in something you're uninterested in, even if it is for the greater good.

[Just_Dream]

If you have a passion for it, then you will definitely enjoy it in college. It depends on what college you're going to. I mean, at my university, there's a lot of different science majors, but I don't think there's any particular one focused on human diseases and such. Maybe the college that you'll be attending will have a pre-med program, which can help you stay on track with what courses you'll need for your major.


And now that I've been looking into political science more, I've grown so impartial to dental school and law school. I'm just going to keep taking classes for both, hopefully I'll be able to decide by the end of my junior year in college.

[Melissa]

And Nicki, I completely agree about the hesitance in declaring a major. The concept of a single major is completely ridiculous to me. There are just too many fields of study in the world, it's unimaginable to have to limit yourself down to one or two. Not to mention that I get worried about what I'm going to do myself so easily; without the benefit of peeking into the future, it's so easy to get terrified of all the potential mishaps that could occur, and how much you'll like your field, et cetera.

Well, declaring a major isn't really so bad. You can major in anything you want, for example, and still go to law school or med school. Many colleges also have the option of just concentrating in something, which opens up a lot more choices for electives and extra classes. While choosing a major is kind of scary, it just narrows things down for you. It doesn't really restrict you all that much.

What college are you going to next year?

Oh, and Christina, I've decided to keep majoring in Neuroscience and Behavior and concentrate in Premed; I realized that I'll have enough classes free to still take a few Poly Sci classes.

[kryogenix]

if you had asked this four years ago i would've told you to go with what your heart says and switch majors now.

but having personally gone through that mistake more than once, i think it's better for you to pursue your career as a doctor. really, it's not that bad is it? obviously, you have the brains for it, and up to this point, you've had the determination and discipline to take on this path. it could be you're just having the typical college jitters about your future.

my aunt used to tell me, "it's just a few years of stress, pain, and no sleep." and i used to think that was crazy. but if you think about it, you're really lucky to be in the position you're in now. you can't even imagine how many students switch onto other majors to "find" themselves, only to want to get back into premed.

i highly regret switching paths, and honestly, if i had stayed on premed, i would probably be doing my residency right now.

of course i agree that being a doctor is not for everyone, but once you finish, you could work for a couple years, save a shitload of money, and then pursue whatever the hell you want. isn't it better to have that kind of advantage than to be one of those people who aren't in your position and don't have the luxury to even consider this lifestyle? and you're in columbia! i mean it's not even that you're in some community college taking credits in order to pursue premed. you're already where a lot of people want to be. you should really take that into consideration.

sometimes you just gotta take the harder road for a while in order to get what you truly want out of life. i can speak for more than a handful of my personal friends who are also faced with this dilemma, and we all say, "i wish i listened to my parents."

and about this whole wanting to do what you "really want" in life --in the real world, this rarely exists. people don't know what they want to do even after they already think they know what they wanna do. how would you know that a year into journalism if you won't hate it? how would you know that a year being in the operating room you won't actually feel enlightened and satisfied with your line of work? i no longer believe in "being what you really want to be" because from my experience, and the experience of many others, there's no such thing. there are always gonna be hard times in your life. there are always gonna be some happy times. what i've learned the most, however, is that the people who pursued something they thought they didn't want are happier than most of the people who are doing what they believed they love. happiness isn't just about doing something that interests you. it's about having the stability to support yourself in any situation and having the means to have the freedom to do whatever you want. so i guess in the end, i do believe (for the most part) that money=happiness.

PREACH BROTHA