On move-in day of my freshman year, I stood in the bookstore with my mom purchasing all of my books for my elementary education courses.
I was certain I would need them throughout my four years here at Cabrini and most likely someday in my own elementary school classroom.
My mom asked me if maybe we should rent them in case I ever decided to change my major. I laughed, reminding her that would never happen.
Two years later, here I am with a new major and a mom that gets to say, “I told you so.”
When I came to Cabrini, I never thought I would be the college student to change their major.
Absolutely certain I would have my own first grade classroom someday, I declared my major as elementary and special education as soon as I could in the spring of my freshman year.
I had dreamed about becoming a teacher since I was a little girl, and all throughout high school I held onto to the idea that no matter where I went to college, I would be an elementary education major.
As a firm believer of sticking to “the plan,” when the thought of changing my major in the spring of my sophomore year came into my mind, I was terrified.
“Will I graduate on time?” “Am I sure this is what I want to do?” “How will I ever catch up to my peers who have been in the major for two years now?”
These questions ran through my head for weeks.
However, I knew I was no longer as passionate about teaching as I was when I came to Cabrini. Although I still loved working with children, my dreams of my future first grade classroom had faded and I knew it was not for me anymore.
When I realized I wanted a major that had more opportunities and options, I realized I had never given myself the chance to look around and see what those other options might be.
I had always loved writing, but never thought I would be capable of writing for the college’s newspaper.
I had always been a good speaker, but never thought I would have the chance to be an anchor on the news station here.
I had a variety of skill sets that did not involve teaching children how to read and write, and I never even gave them a thought.
Opening my eyes to these options has been an incredible experience and although I had to change “the plan” a little bit, I do not have one single regret.
Going from education to communication has been nothing short of a big change and I still find myself getting a range of responses when I tell my professors and classmates about my previous major.
I used to be the one doing the teaching and now I find myself asking my peers to teach me everything about communication.
Changing your major and your mind throughout your four years of college is normal.
As 18 or 19-year-old freshmen, it is hard to know exactly what we want to do.
Studies say that almost 80 percent of college students will change their major at least once in their four years, sometimes more.
My beloved “plan” has certainly changed a lot in the last two years.
However, I am positive that I needed everything to work out the way it has for me to realize I belonged somewhere outside of the education world.
Opening your eyes and being willing to change “the plan” a little bit can be challenging, especially for someone like me.
However, I have found that change can certainly be a good thing and I do not regret one thing about this one.
