80 percent of students will change their major in college according to Yuritay Ramous. Why do these students change their major while in college?

Data Point breaks down the percentages between the different majors that students have switched from. How often students change their major depends on what their original major is.

They state, “Whereas 35 percent of students who had originally declared a science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) major had changed their field of study within 3 years, 29 percent of those who had originally declared a non-STEM major had done so.”

Before College

In high school, many students are pressured to choose a career path before entering college.

There are students who feel pressured by their mentors, teachers, parents or peers to make a decision of picking a major before entering or choosing a college.

In many high schools, students choose their majors early. According to Career Key, “consider choosing a major before you choose a college to attend. There are good reasons for doing this, even though most people don’t.” 

Many children say they would like to be a doctor or a lawyer, but this usually changes based on what experience they have during their life from a child to a teenager. High school students who are becoming college students should get that same treatment.

DSU junior K’Na Rose states, “Starting out, I was not as motivated as I am now to even be in college at all. I knew I liked school and knew that I wanted more out of life, but I didn’t think college would fulfill that.”

However, Rose’s viewpoint changed over time. “My mom,” she states, “graduated the same year that I moved here and seeing that success from my own mother pushed me to at least try it and do my best.”

During College

While a student is in college, they already have an idea of what they want to do as their career. 

A student can want to be a teacher, a sports manager or a doctor without fully understanding the long process of those professions until it is too late. 

Many people will disagree with the argument that students don’t have the knowledge of what they are getting into until they experience it. They will state that students should research what they are getting into ahead of time.

Researching a major can give some information about it, but not if the classes are difficult for her or him.

What are the good reasons for choosing a major early?

Choosing a major early can be very helpful and non-stressful., but there are more cons than pros. Being pressured to choose a major early, can make a student feel they are not able to explore a series of fields that might entice them. Or she or he doesn’t have the skill to excel in a particular major.

Rose states, “I changed my major because the one I was in, I was not as skilled at. Because I felt that I didn’t just want art anymore, I opened up to the option that matched my credits at the time. That lead me to Interdisciplinary Studies, which not only could include the credits I had for art, but add one or two more of my interests as well, creative writing and psychology.”

A student can lose interest in a major because the major didn’t r inform the student about the skills they should have.

In conclusion, many students who have this problem will change their major to better fit them and make them comfortable as a person and also as a professional.

Can Students Be Indecisive?

Yes, it is okay to be indecisive when choosing a major. Students should be able to explore their options without being rushed into a major that might not fit them.

There are over fifty majors that a student can take up, and just being stuck in one that hinders a student from achieving can be exhausting.

Students can wait to choose their majors in their junior year of college because that’s where students are doing their major courses. It is okay to explore majors to see which major suits a student. 

Here are a websites that can help students to choose a comfortable major:

1. College Majors 101 
2. Campus Explorer 
3.  College Data