Hannah Whitley
When I initially applied to OSU at the beginning of my senior year in high school, I had my whole college career mapped out: I was majoring in Agricultural Science with a minor in Communications. My ultimate goal was to become a voice for small agricultural businesses on the national level, either by serving as a representative on Capitol Hill or by corresponding with associations assisting production agriculturalists. However, after half a year of contemplation and major soul searching, my academic focus changed dramatically.
During the summer of 2013, I switched my major to Sociology. At that point, I wasn’t quite sure what my ultimate career goal was, but I knew that majoring in the College of Liberal Arts allowed me to take a diverse array of courses while simultaneously giving me the ability to have a hands-on, real world education.
As I enter my spring term in my second year at Oregon State, I have officially altered my major/minor/option combination six times. I have entertained many degrees, spanning everywhere from Theatre Arts to even Human Development and Family Science. Two years after my initial acceptance into OSU, however, I have officially settled on pursuing a B.S. in Sociology with an option in Crime and Justice, Anthropology with a Biocultural option, and a minor in Religious Studies.
Where I initially thought that I was one of the rare students who could not make up their mind on what to study, I soon found that I am not alone! Out of the 9 current Ambassadors for the College of Liberal Arts, we have all altered our major/minor/option combinations. On average, the CLA Ambassador team has each altered their course of study three times, either by adding to, modifying, or removing some type of their degree. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), we ambassadors fit right in with the majority of collegiate students in the U.S. According to the NCES, about 80% of students in America end up changing their major at least once. On average, these students change their major at least three times over the course of their college career!
The important thing to remember is that whether you keep the same major you declared while applying to OSU or if you decide to change your degree once or multiple times, there’s nothing wrong with that. One of the great things about post-secondary education is that students have the ability to choose what path of education they wish to pursue. It may take one (or six) times to customize your college education and determine your unique major/minor/option combination.
If you are thinking about altering your current path of education, make sure to discuss your options with an adviser in the College of Liberal Arts main office or with your major adviser. All appointment inquiries for advisers in the CLA main office can be made in Gilkey 207 or by calling (541) 737-0561. For a list of all major advisers, visit http://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/finding-my-advisor.
