Ashley Verdugo/ Contributing Writer
Upcoming freshmen, here’s a word of advice — majors aren’t major. Before you think back on articles that said your major equals the rest of your life, read this.
I began my college career as a dual enrollment student at Miami-Dade college. After I finished my Associate’s in Arts degree, I transferred over to FIU. But before I transferred to FIU, I changed my major a couple of times. I spent my first semester at Dade as undecided.
I’d walk into every class and try to absorb as much information as I could. I contemplated many majors: psychology, architecture and english. As you can see, these are all over the spectrum.
With every required class I took, I started to see what I did and didn’t like. After two semesters I finally decided on journalism. I wanted to write well researched articles on politics and learn more about how to conduct interviews. My first required class for the journalism major was creative writing. Instead of learning how to write a great intro to an article, I learned how to write sonnets, poems and haikus. I had to take two of these classes to graduate. I dreaded it, but continued.
Before graduating, I was missing a few credits and took American Government. In that class, I realized my true passion — politics. But, I still loved journalism so I didn’t know which one to choose.
When I came to FIU, I was lucky to get an advisor who listened to all my concerns and helped form a track that I actually love. I am now a proud broadcast journalism major with a political science minor.
So, from my experience, here’s my advice to all you freshmen: One, don’t freak out; breathe. Two, take every required class for your Associate’s degree first and see what you like and don’t like. You will find a passion, I promise.
Three, don’t be afraid to change your major or explore other majors. No one knows what they want the moment they walk in. And four, find an advisor that best suits you. I was lucky to get an advisor that heard exactly what I wanted and helped me form a track. Make sure you have an advisor that listens and helps you. It’s extremely important that you do because they will help you get organized from the beginning.
So don’t be scared if you’re unsure of what you want to study. Take your time and figure yourself out. It’s not a big deal if you choose to be an undecided major.
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The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of Panther Press Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.
Photo taken from Flickr.
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