Wednesday, April 22, 2009
What If My Dream Major Turns Into a Nightmare?
Study Hacks: "Tyler is not alone. His e-mail is probably the 5th or 6th I’ve received this spring that offers some variation on the same common conundrum: what do I do if my dream major is turning into a nightmare? In this post I tackle this issue with a series of observations on the lost art of cultivating a healthy relationship with your academic concentration."
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4 comments:
Joe kind of talked of talked about the issue brought up in this article earlier in the year. The idea that something new is not new forever is something I think a lot of people over look. I am pretty sure that at least once a semester the average student has the thought of changing majors cross their mind; but the article spelled out pretty well why this is not always a good idea. The part that confused me slightly about the article was that I was not sure if it condoned or discouraged picking a major simply because of interest.
This article comes to me in the middle of a really challenging semester. Theoretically, I'm in my spring semester of my Junior year; I should be starting to look for jobs and send out tenuous applications.
In reality, I'm a freshman again after switching majors as a sophomore. While I LOVE what I'm studying, I often lose sight of that in the mire of stress and expectations. Not only do I have to struggle in the intense course load, but I have to stave off senioritis; three years of solid work with no end in sight is pushing my to my limit.
Financially and realistically switching majors is not an option. I'd be fine sticking with drama (it's something I love, after all), but the culture created by CMU has created additional problems. Not only do I have to convince myself to work, but I face the very real (and IMO ridiculous) possibility of a FORCED MAJOR CHANGE if I do badly in my classes. It's a terrifying position to be in.
I just have to keep reminding myself that I want to be here. I won't watch Rocky 4 like the article suggests; I'll watch a movie about adverse conditions as long as it has shiny costumes. :3
What this article missed is that a major might be right for someone if you factor in leisure time and hobbies. It is normal for people to get burnt out on anything, even something they love, bc they are doing too much of the same time. I love theatre but sometimes doing the same type of project for 13 hours at a time makes me want to throw down the T-square. As difficult as it is with our schedules, getting out of Purnell even for 5 minutes, not only makes us happier but more efficient in our schoolwork. Just bc you are unhappy in your schoolwork, does not necessarily mean that it is the problem. Too much of a good thing?
This whole idea scares the hell out of me. One of the really bad things is that, high schools as they are today, almost no one gets to take a single class in their intended college major before they have already started mailing off checks. Especially because, if you get two years into a CMU education, then decide your major of choice isn't the field for you, you can't really switch without being demoted to freshman again. Thats a penalty the price of a small house for not knowing EXACTLY what you want to do with your life right as you're coming out of puberty.
Though, it could be worse. In Germany, students have to choose between a number of different types of high schools, depending on what career they want to pursue. I'm 18 and I still barely know what I wan't to do with my life, I couldn't imagine deciding at 14.
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