Switching My Major: Leaving My Past Behind

I have always known that I wanted to be a scientist. From an exploring paleontologist to a deep-diving marine biologist, my “dream job” never veered far from the science field. Even now with the goal of being an author, I still want to use science in my writing and daily life. The fact that I would end up as a STEM major was never really a question. 

The field of science is so large and vast that deciding on what exactly I wanted to do was difficult for the younger version of me, but in middle school I made up my mind. I chose physics. Throughout my middle and high school years, I narrowed that down even more to astrophysics, so my decision was made, and I was on my path. For six years of my life, I was preparing to enter college as a physics major, and that is exactly what I did.

Entering the physics classroom I was so excited. This was it, the moment I had been preparing for.  One week in I thought that physics was amazing, two weeks in I was starting to get stressed, three weeks in I questioned for the first time if this was really what I wanted to do.  

I was not prepared to have an identity crisis three weeks into college, but here I was questioning the past six years of my life. I had my entire future planned out – where I would apply to graduate school, my dream jobs, even ideas of what research I was interested in pursuing. What I didn’t realize was as much as I loved space, I didn’t love physics. 

I spent the rest of my first semester debating what to do. Do I try to switch my major to something else? Would I even be able to stick to another major if I couldn’t stick to physics? 

After lots of personal reflection and many phone calls with my mom, I had my new major decided – Biology. It was a difficult decision to make, but in the end, it was extremely beneficial to me. I remember submitting the major change form and thinking back to orientation. The students told us that 70% of people switch their majors and I thought “That will never be me,” but here I was submitting my major change form.

I am now officially a biology major, and I could not be happier with my decision. I am excited for the classes I have to take, and I have adjusted my plans to follow a completely different career path. The most difficult part about switching my major was letting go of my dreams of being an astrophysicist, but I have come to terms with that. I will always love the stars, but I am satisfied with making it my hobby and not my job. 

Switching to a Biology major in my second semester freshman year will make my future in college difficult. I have to start over with my new major in my sophomore year. Any hope of graduating early or taking any more fifteen credit semesters has gone away.  My next two semesters will be focused on catching up, but I am prepared and excited for the classes I have to take. 

Looking at my classes, I have a lot of stress going into the next year of college, but I am prepared to take it on strong. My future may be different from how I expected, but I am excited to embrace these new ideas. I was always scared to change my major. It is such a career-defining change that it can be difficult to commit to, but it was worth it. 

As my life continues, I will continue to embrace change. I have not had six years to prepare for my life as a biologist, so some things will come as a surprise. To that I say: bring it on.

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