We’re a few months into the new school
year, and it’s official: You hate it. You would rather have dental surgery
every day than spend one more minute on campus. The worst part? You have no
idea what went wrong. On paper, everything seemed perfect.
At this point,
you may be thinking about packing it in. Maybe you’ve thought about
transferring to another school and starting over. But before you make a
life-changing decision — and take on all of the stress and expense that goes
with it — take a few moments to determine the real source of the issue.
The Problem Is Your Major
When you applied
to college, you may or may not have had a clear vision of what you wanted to do
with your life. Either way, you were most likely encouraged to choose a major,
with the caveat that you could change it later on if you wanted.
Well, “later”
has finally arrived, and you are miserable. You might be blaming your
unhappiness on other factors, such as the other people on campus, your housing
situation, the cafeteria food, but the fact is, if you hate what you are
studying for 30-40 hours a week or more, it’s going to cloud your perception of
everything else. Before you check out though, ask yourself these questions:
Why did I choose my major? If you only chose your major because you
had to pick something, because you were pressured by your parents, or because
you heard that you can earn a huge salary in that field, there’s a good chance
that you will hate it.
Do I like this subject? First things first: Every major is going
to require coursework that you will find boring or pointless. It’s inevitable.
But if you discover after a few classes that every class is dull, and that you
just aren’t interested in learning more about the subject, a major change is in
order. Consider this: Do you want to spend the rest of your life, or at least
the next few decades, focused on that subject?
How are you performing? If your grades stink, you might be in
the wrong place. Of course, poor performance could be due to lack of interest
and effort, but if you are really trying and still can’t seem to catch up or
grasp the information, you might be happier in another program.
There is nothing
wrong with changing
your major; in fact, most college students change their program of study at
least three times. If you’re truly unhappy, think about whether it’s due to
your studies, and make the necessary change.
The Problem is Your School
Sometimes, the
problem runs deeper than your coursework and you need to make a bigger change.
Transferring to a new school is a big decision, but in some cases, it is the
better one. If any of these apply to you, then a change of scenery may be in
order.
You can’t afford your school. Even if you love your school, if the
bills are piling up and you are facing a mountain of debt after graduation, you
might want to think about transferring somewhere more affordable.
You’ve tried fixing issues and you’re
still miserable.
Sometimes, campus life just isn’t a good fit. If you’ve tried everything — and
we mean everything — to be happy on campus, such as moving to a new dorm or off
campus, joining different activities, and talking with your advisors and
residence life staff, and it still hasn’t worked, transferring may be the right
choice. There are times when you simply can’t fit a square peg into a round
hole, and the sooner you acknowledge that, the better.
One of the best
parts about going to college these days is that nothing is set in stone. It’s a
time for exploration, experimentation, and self-discovery. So don’t avoid the
hard questions when you are unhappy, and make all the changes you need to get
where you want to be.
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