Don’t Have a Major Meltdown – What I Learned from Switching Majors
Alice Lynch//Blog Writer
Ask an Emerson student why they chose this school and most will point to the college’s excellence in and dedication to the arts. We aren’t coughing up ungodly sums of cash for the food, the cramped dorms, the Wifi less reliable than your checking account – people come to Emerson to throw themselves heart and soul into their craft. But what happens if you haven’t decided yet what your craft is? If your passions change? If you just don’t fit? Switching majors is a big deal anywhere, but in a school where it feels like everyone else knows what they want, it can be terrifying. But having survived the transition from VMA to WLP myself – and halfway through my college career at that – I know it was the smartest decision I’ve ever made. For anyone else struggling to make this decision, here’s a few things I learned when switching majors at Emerson College.
ONLY YOU KNOW WHETHER IT’S RIGHT FOR YOU
When considering a major switch, the most important question people ask (and the scariest) is “how do I know if it’s the right decision?” Sorry to break this to you, but you can’t know until you do it. For me, the realization that I was unhappy in my old major was a very slow and time-consuming one. Every semester, I grew more and more disinterested in my film classes. I dreaded each project, groaned at each new lesson, and came to find that even getting to class had become a drag. I knew I wasn’t thriving, but I couldn’t figure out how to break out of my rut – surely I just hadn’t taken the right classes yet? But by the end of my sophomore year, as class discussions began veering toward our careers post-Emerson, I couldn’t picture myself out in LA grinding away on crew calls like everyone else. My mind was a blank. I spent the next few weeks in a state of permanent anxiety, my already tenuous (and debt-filled) future even more uncertain than it had been. What did I want to do? As I was sitting with a friend and helping him edit a paper, he made an off-hand comment about how I might be in the wrong line of work, and that’s when the puzzle pieces started to come together. I wasn’t happy on film sets or editing reels – I was happiest copyediting and rewriting, composing papers in my Honors classes and analyzing literature. And most importantly, I felt confident in the literary arena – a far cry from the eternal imposter syndrome I felt when in my VMA classes. I talked it over with friends, family, and Academic Advising, but ultimately, my decision to switch was my own. There was never a concrete “a-ha!” moment where the universe opened up and answered all my questions; it was a slow exploration of my interests and my talents until I found a space where I was comfortable, and from there? It’s a leap of faith.
THE PROCESS IS LESS SCARY THAN YOU THINK
As every Emerson student knows, dealing with the administration can be challenging. Something like switching majors that deals with multiple departments and will shape your academic future must be a nightmare, right? Wrong. After talking with the Academic Advising office to make sure your credit situation is compatible with your new major requirements, it’s as easy as getting two signatures on a slip. Unless you plan on switching into VMA or marketing, you just need to drop off your major change form with the assistants of your current department head and the department head of your new major. Then drop that bad boy off with Academic Advising and let them work their magic. So don’t let administration anxiety get to you – in less than a week, you’ll be ready to take on the world (or at least your new department).
BEING OLDER THAN YOUR CLASSMATES WON’T STOP THEM RESPECTING YOU
If you’re like me and didn’t realize you wanted to switch majors until later in your Emerson career, the discomfort of being older than most of your classmates may have crossed your mind. Of course it’s only a year or two; of course it doesn’t really make a difference whether you’re in the same year as your classmates or not; of course you’ll still connect with people. But there’s a certain apprehension that comes when you’re a junior or senior taking freshman-level courses that can’t be reasoned away – how will you fit in? Rest assured that this is not only a common anxiety, but a meritless one. In my past two semesters as a new WLP, I’ve learned that, if anything, being older is an advantage in your introductory classes. Your past courses mean that you already have a solid pool of knowledge to pull from, and your familiarity with the school provides with a confidence most freshmen haven’t mustered. In some cases, you’ll even be a role model for your younger classmates. As long as you show up and put up, you’ll fit in just fine; being older than your classmates may even be to your advantage.
IT’S NOT TOO LATE TO THRIVE
I’ll be so behind. As I started talking with Academic Advising about my options, this thought echoed relentlessly in my mind. I’ll be so behind. By my year, most people at this school have already found internships in their fields, have made homes in relevant organizations, have made friends and connections within the department. Here I am, lounging around the starting line while they’re halfway through the race. How could I ever catch up? I’m not going to lie – it takes some work. You have to go out of your way to connect with the orgs you’re interested in and join projects. You’ll have to take the initiative and prove to people why, even though you don’t have the exact experience they’re looking for, you’re the best person for the job. But for all its flaws, Emerson is a place of opportunity where students are looking to help each other. If you’re willing to go out on a limb and exit your comfort zone, you’ll not only catch up, but thrive in your new major. The only thing that would keep you from excelling at in your new major is your willingness to reach out.
Switching majors is a big decision. It may require long conversations with your family, signing up for summer classes, leaving the world and classes you know to explore something new. But as cheesy as it sounds, you have to listen to your heart. If you’re not happy where you are, don’t just stay unhappy – make a change and fight for yourself. Yes, switching majors is a risk, and even more so if you’re already several semesters into college. But as someone who’s been there, I can promise you: it’s worth it.