| Whether or not to switch majors is one of the most stressful decisions college students make. Here are some good indicators that you’ve gotten on the wrong track and could benefit from a change. 1. You’re bored. Every college student experiences some degree of boredom in school. After all, we’re only human and not every subject or professor is interesting to everyone. At the very least, most of your major classes should be engaging some of the time. Your research projects, papers, or reading assignments should feel like opportunities to learn new things about your chosen field of study. If you could care less about your next hypothesis or thesis statement, and doing your homework feels like going through the motions, it’s probably a good sign you should switch majors to a subject you find more appealing. 2. You have no interest in talking about your major. While you’re probably not going to pour your heart out to Aunt Agnes at the family reunion when she asks about school, you should enjoy discussing your major field of study on at least a basic level. If you’re a psychology major, you should be able to snicker at the Freud joke someone tells at a party. If you’re an economics major, you should enjoy debating how best to bolster the American economy during the current recession. If the thought of discussing something related to your major makes you want to jab a pen in your ear, it’s a good sign you should either become a hermit or switch majors. 3. You’re not doing well in your major classes. Most college students have failed an exam or had to drop a difficult class. If you find yourself struggling in all your major classes though, take it as a warning sign. You may have chosen a subject you’re not particularly well-suited for. Also, failing classes in your major may indicate a lack of interest you’re trying not to admit. Try taking an upper-level class or two in a different major. If you have more academic success in a different subject, it’s time to switch. 4. You can’t picture yourself working in your field of study. When you’re young, sometimes the future looks like nothing more than a big, empty slate. That’s not a bad thing. But if you try and simply can’t imagine yourself in the role of teacher, statistician, electrical engineer, or whatever career your major is preparing you to do, you should seriously consider switching majors. Why spend your entire college career focused on something you would never do in the real world? Instead, use your education to work toward going into a profession you might actually take up after graduation. 5. You spend more time on another class or a hobby. Believe it or not, choosing other activities over your major is a good thing. In fact, it’s an excellent sign you already have an idea of what you really want to do. If you secretly love reading the World War ... |