On Changing My Major Nine Quarters Into UG

So I entered college knowing that I would study physics, with the intent of being a high school teacher. I went through three academic years under this impression, but becoming more distant and jaded about my department due to the difficulty of classes and my increasing desire to not do the work or attend class. This overall did not go so well, resulting in me being on probation on two separate occasions.

This summer was one of the most difficult because of the questions an academic advisor friend told me that I needed to consider: who was I doing this coursework for? What was I wanting to get out of it? Did I really think that this was what I wanted/needed to be doing with my time? It had become obvious through the coursework for my minor (Education) that I could function at a high level, given the right subject. It became obvious to me that I had become obsessed with a dream I developed my sophomore year of high school, and had stubbornly pigeon-holed myself into believing that it was all going to work out fine, despite me being completely unhappy during my undergraduate years (with regard to academics). These questions forced me to completely reconsider my time in college until that point, and really think about what I was wanting to do with my remaining time quite seriously.

Luckily, I didn’t have to look that far to find the new path. I am beyond happy in my new department, Comparative Literature, and am using it to explore topics of race and ethnicity in ways that I am much more used to, through books and writing. The ability to immerse myself in words chosen carefully by an author, and then figure out what it says about a form, theme, or tradition, on my own time, in my own words is something I am honestly blessed to be able to do every day. I get to consider philosophy and historical context, and then apply all of that to books I’ve wanted to read by Native American authors or on themes that I see my people struggle with. Life is infinitely better with classes that you look forward to attending, rather than dreading.

All of this has affected what I see myself doing in the future, so radically because of the conversations I am able to have here, and the ideas I am able to grapple with on a daily basis through my activities and my coursework, which are now more connected in theme and energy. But that’s a post for another day.

The takeaway for me from all of this is that there are incredible people at this university and in this world that truly want to see you succeed and enjoy succeeding. I started a completely new major right before my “senior year,” and could not have gotten more support from family, friends, and academic faculty and staff. It’s not something that I think people expect, especially in a world where everyone expects you to be on top of your life. It’s the icing on top of the cake, and makes personal victories even sweeter.