I’m a Communication major. This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise, since I’m an editor and writer on Her Campus; the vast majority of our staff is made of Comm majors. But I entered BC freshman year as a Comm major and I will graduate next spring as a Comm major, there’s no doubt in my mind.
I am fascinated by the world of influence, hoping to follow my passion for marketing and mass media communication once I enter the Real World. I’ve always known this was the career path I would pursue. I’ve been ripping powerful advertisements and interesting article ideas out of magazines since I was in grade school. When I go to bed, I dream of living in a big city, working for a creative agency, meeting clients, and going on business trips. I get excited touching up my resume and researching companies to apply to. I might look like a nerd (I have friends, I swear), but I call it ambition and drive. I know what I want to do and I pursue my dreams with my whole heart.
I’ve had my life planned for so long that I take for granted how blessed I am to know what I want to do. For
many, the future is daunting, overwhelming, intimidating, unknown. It can be really difficult finding what gets your heart racing, what you want to dedicate your time and energy on. We change so much, continually learning new things and discovering new interests, that it’s hard to land on just one dream. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with being Undeclared; in fact, I think it’s actually pretty exciting to consider you can do anything.
I know so many kids at BC that have no clue what they want to do, or are suddenly realizing they want to reroute their original plans. To all of you trying to pick a major, wondering if you should switch your major, or even considering transferring schools, I say congratulations! In case you didn’t realize, you’re at a Jesuit institution where discernment is a valued and helpful tool. Discernment is the act of reflecting on your life, your goals, and everything important to you, while weighing your various options, in order to choose the right next step. One great resource at BC is the Halftime retreat: a weekend to put life on pause so you can spend time figuring out where you want to go. Whether you’re spiritual or not, this retreat is a fantastic opportunity to help you discern any big decisions or questions.
If you’ve already been thinking of making an academic change and are ready to take that leap, now is the time! Junior Bridgid O’Brien is the perfect inspiring success story – she just transferred from CSOM to A&S this semester! Like so many CSOM-ers, O’Brien came to the Heights freshman year absolutely set on a concentration in marketing so she could go into advertising or brand management for fashion companies. But as she began taking core classes for her school, she realized she wasn’t getting any of the creative outlets she had hoped. In fact, just the opposite: she was taking Portico, Financial Accounting, Computers in Management, Stats… a dream for some, but not for O’Brien.
She began a volunteer position with Read Boston Tutors as a 5th grade teacher’s aid, working with kids on math. Seeing the kids’ faces light up as they better understood the concepts brought joy to O’Brien’s heavy workload. During her 48 Hours retreat in November, she began considering a transfer to the Lynch school. She talked to one of her TA’s, who had switched from Pre-Law into Lynch as a sophomore. Though she felt a little dissatisfied academically, O’Brien decided to stick through with CSOM since she still hadn’t taken a marketing course yet.
As a sophomore in the PULSE program, she worked with teens as a tutor for Bridge Over Troubled Waters. Again, working with kids, O’Brien couldn’t help but ask herself, “Why am I in CSOM?” She loved seeing the impact she could make on children’s lives, but also felt too invested with her CSOM career. Still, she couldn’t silence the voice in her head, so she went to Professor Moore in the Psychology department to discuss possibly switching her academic plans. Prof. Moore recommended she wait until taking at least one psych class before deciding that was the right major for her. She had, in fact, finally taken Marketing Principles and realized it wasn’t exactly what she thought it would be. So while abroad last semester, O’Brien had the opportunity to take a psych class and, of course, she loved it.
Now determined that she needed to make a change, O’Brien returned to BC this semester ready to switch out of CSOM. On the first day of classes, she went into the A&S Office located in Gasson only to realize she missed all of the school transfer paperwork deadlines while she was abroad. The administrators understood why she missed the deadlines, though, and allowed her to make an appointment with the Dean of A&S. During her meeting, the Dean realized she was not only organized and committed to her decision, but also right on track with her University core requirements! They went through all of the paperwork, and as of last Thursday, O’Brien has officially been a student enrolled in the College of Arts and Sciences! Adios CSOM, she is now taking notes in all the psych classes she finds so fascinating!
“It’s really exciting, I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders,” says O’Brien, and she is all smiles now that she is happily a Psych major. “I had been thinking about this for so long. The thought of taking Basic Finance this year for CSOM was looming over my head! But I’m loving my new classes, especially Disorders in Adolescence.”
Two-and-a-half years later, O’Brien’s advice to you all is: look into your options the moment you begin having hesitations. Especially if you want to go abroad, since it limits your course options, look into your options if having any doubts. Her mom always told her to “follow what you love, don’t follow the money.” O’Brien said she wishes she had listened to her mom sooner. She had seen signs of her passion for working with kids a long time ago, but was scared of change. She recommends talking to academic advisors at BC to help understand your various academic opportunities.
Though the process of transferring schools is a bit of work, the procedure to change (or declare) a major is as simple as going to Student Services in Lyons.
If these feelings resonate with you at all, even as that small nagging thought in the back of your mind about something you love, I would recommend thinking about what you really want. It might sound difficult – and you don’t need to have all the answers – but try finding what you love, what brings you happiness. This is the first step. Here’s a beautiful quote from Jesuit Fr. Pedro Arrupe, one that has helped center me in many times of confusion:
Nothing is more practical than finding God,
That is, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way.
What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything.
It will decide what will get you out of bed in the mornings,
What you will do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends,
What you read, who you know, what breaks your heart,
And what amazes you with joy and gratitude.
Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.
What gets you out of bed in the morning? Best of luck finding what brings you happiness, collegiettes™! If you have any questions, or want to share a personal experience, please comment below or on Facebook, or email us!
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at BC chapter.