Major switching, minor problem

Major switching, minor problem

Posted on February 5th, 2020 by Scott Warnock

A few years ago, I wrote about how my daughter, Elizabeth, wanted to change her major. I said that considering some of the “news” she had dropped on us, this was nothing. In fact, I wrote, eloquent as ever, that it was “No big deal.”

Well, I got validation of that sentiment in a recent DrexelNow piece about changing majors featuring, you guessed it, my daughter!

The writer, Beth Ann Downey, did a great job narrating how changing majors, even multiple times, can be a healthy, good thing. She talked to counselors and other support administrators at Drexel, including one who pointed out, as Downey writes, that “some students don’t know enough about the world of work, so they haven’t explored all of the different major options.”

The article’s appearance coincides amazingly with my just-finished reading of the book Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, which describes some big-time life path meanderers who ended up doing a little okay in their fields, like Vincent van Gogh.

The book makes a strong argument for generalists in a world of specialists. It doesn’t rationalize grazing, but instead describes how, for many elite performers and thinkers “broad early experience and delayed specialization is the norm.” For a variety of reasons, I recommend the book.

College is increasingly expensive, which is one of the main reasons that it is a commitment in ways now more than ever. But that doesn’t mean students have to have it nailed from day one. Also, universities are better set up to help students define their interests than we often recognize.

It took Elizabeth—or, as she is known to the rest of the world, Liz—four majors to settle into where she is now: Happily pursuing Behavioral Health Counseling. She did get a big assist from dedicated Drexel advisor, Florette Press, who hung in there and helped her with each decision.

It’s worth remembering that when students want to change majors, those other experiences and the classes that went with them don’t disappear. They can help in many ways, including providing fresh insight, a different perspective on the new discipline.

Students should not lazily waddle through a series of courses, skipping class, not doing the work, and not passing. But if they attack coursework eagerly, try something new, and move on, they will get invaluable experience in the process(es) of learning.

Perhaps they will be the kind of people discussed in the anecdote-filled Range who bring multiple perspectives to big problems that face the human experience. Perhaps even more importantly, these people may be setting themselves up to have more fulfilling lives.

Downey quotes my daughter as saying about Behavioral Health Counseling, “It’s the perfect major for me and I’m so, so happy in it.” I feel strongly that this positive, experience-based perspective provides her with a launching point for life, which is why she went to college in the first place.

Author Bio
Latest Posts

Scott Warnock

Scott Warnock is a writer and teacher who lives in South Jersey. He is a professor of English at Drexel University, where he is also the Associate Dean of Undergraduate Education in the College of Arts and Sciences. Father of three and husband of one, Scott is president of a local high school education foundation and spent many years coaching youth sports.