Throughout sorority recruitment, the big question is always, “what is your major?”
Many would respond with a simple answer such as, “Communications, how about you?” However, at least 80 percent of girls I talked to would say, in an almost embarrassed and sheepish way, “I’m undeclared. But I will figure it out soon and I will be fine.”
I would always reassure them that it’s okay that they’re undeclared, and it’s okay that they have no idea what to do with their life just yet.
It seems like everyone who is undeclared on this campus are semi-ashamed of not knowing what they want to do. Undeclared majors should feel confident about being undeclared. It shows that they are not one to rush into anything. They are actually making a smart decision for themselves.
Three out of my five roommates are undeclared. One is even in a class twice a month to help her figure out what she wants to do with her life. She says that what she has found from being undeclared is that people usually have too many interests that they can’t narrow down, or they have no idea what they want to do just yet.
A large number of our peers are undeclared and feel like they are behind because they don’t have clear idea of their future career.
Some undeclared majors know the direction they want to go in, but can’t get into the major because it’s impacted. However, I’ve noticed many have chosen to be undeclared because it made the most sense to them and they can take general education classes, which help establish what types of subjects they flourish in the most.
According to the Department of Education, colleges and universities reported nearly 1,500 major programs in 2010. And at this rapid rate, 355 were added to the list over the previous 10 years as colleges tried to stay competitive and modern with what majors they offered their students. With so many majors to choose from, no wonder some students are going in without a clue on what to do. It could be difficult for a new college student to declare a major with almost no incoming knowledge on the subject or past experience with it.
During one’s freshman year, they are encouraged to take as many general education classes as possible. This not only helps with completing the 120 unit general education requirement to graduate, but for some students it can be key to determining what major they want to apply for. There is absolutely no shame in taking a few years to decide your major.
When one enters college, there is a perception that the only goal is to train for a future career. Yes, this is true to some extent; a lot of the lessons learned in college will be about personal growth. Taking some time in order to help establish more personal growth with an undeclared major is not only smart, but beneficial to a college experience.
My roommate talks to me about the class that she refers to as her “undeclared class” and she says that it’s constructive in finding out what kind of career she might want. My belief is that my roommate, along with the many other students that are undeclared at this moment, aren’t given enough credit when it comes to their major.
When thinking of the word “undeclared,” it is assumed that the individual has no path in their life. It seems like undeclared majors are ashamed of telling people that they are undeclared, and feel they have to hide the fact that they are undeclared.
At the end of the day, college is about growth and establishing yourself as an individual. Undeclared majors and every other major have the same common goal in obtaining a degree and having the best college experience possible. Go ahead and declare you’re undeclared, no judgment here.
