Changing your mind: Choosing your future

Many people have the misconception that once you choose a field of study you are stuck with it. At UAF this is not the case. UAF is an institution that promotes finding a field of study that students are passionate about, as well as setting up career choices in the future. In order to accomplish this goal students are encouraged to do what is best for them and their future.

It is perfectly okay to also decide that your original field of study is not what you actually want to pursue once you get started or even before you start to take classes. A student must ask themselves these questions: Is this what I am really interested in? Can I see myself doing this for the rest of my life? While making this decision it is important to also evaluate what you want to do in the future.

When I started off my college career I believed that my major was locked in stone. I ended up switching to a different department at the end of my sophomore year even though I was hesitant about not finishing my undergraduate degree in the time frame that I planned. Before I came to college I wanted to major in Journalism. Throughout both of my freshman and sophomore years I took the majority of my general classes while also taking a couple journalism classes. Although I have a passion for journalistic writing and delivering news I discovered it was not my passion so I decided to switch my major to something I knew I would enjoy.

When I decided to switch my major I was really interested in the Justice department and did some research to learn more about the field. There were steps that I did before making this decision which included 1) evaluating possible careers that I can gain from having a Justice degree; 2) talking to other students about their overall experiences with the Justice program; 3) setting up an appointment with a professor in the department to get an understanding of the degree requirements; 4) making sure that the justice program was one where I felt I could be challenged as well as excel; and 5) getting advised about classes I should take before completely finalizing my decision. I am now a Justice major and starting my last year in my program. It worked out that the journalism courses that I did take have also fulfilled my core requirements in the humanities section, so it actually helped with the progress of my degree by helping me become a well-rounded student.

If you don’t know what field of study you actually would like to pursue, many students start their college experience as a General Studies major. You will work with an academic adviser to complete your general requirements. The advisers will also help identify your interest and declare a major. If you don’t get anything else out of this article understand that it is okay to change your mind when it comes to choosing a major know that there are people at UAF that to help you pick a major that will lead to success.