Changing Your Major

Plenty of college students change majors, sometimes multiple times. It’s hard to know exactly what you want to do or be in life, before you have actually done it.

Before you change majors, we encourage you to read our listing of college majors, and how your major will impact your career and your financial lifestyle.

That being said, if you thought you wanted to be a doctor but you’re too scared to dissect anything in your biology classes, you should seriously consider changing your major.

Changing Majors Costs You

Depending on how far you are into your major, it may cost you to make this change. You paid for your current classes in tuition dollars, and if they don’t count towards the requirements for your new major, you might have to go to school longer. All of your basic requirements should still count (i.e. Math, History, English).

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In addition, your major probably has some “elective credits” built in. If you are tight on time and money, you might want to use some of the classes you took under your old major and move them into the elective spots. That will mean you’ll have to forfeit some fun classes, but it’s an option if you can’t afford another year of college.

Do Your Research

If you are considering changing majors, you might want to take some classes to make sure it’s the right fit for you. If you don’t want to waste a whole semester of classes on a major you’re not sure about, you might have to take some classes during the summer or winter break. That way, you can be comfortable with your new major before you register for a full load of classes.

There is also plenty of literature on the web and in the library about your prospective major and career field. We’ve got some of that information listed in our college major and career planning sections.

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You should also be speaking with your dean or counselor about your decision to change majors. Not only can they give you good advice, but there are skills and placement tests available to help you assess what your enjoy and have an aptitude for.

How to Change Majors

Generally, changing majors is as easy as filling out a form with your dean or counselor and enrolling in the new classes that you need to take.

However, if the major you want to enroll in requires acceptance into a department or school, the process becomes more difficult. You will have to go through the application process and be accepted before you can change your major.

If competition is stiff to get into the program, you will have to talk to your counselor about like majors in case you don’t get in. If you are dead set on changing to a particular major, but your school doesn’t offer that major or anything like it, you may have to transfer schools.

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