By ANGELA MURPHY, CSU Communications Student Assistant

Something that is commonly talked about between students is how stressful classes are. How you might feel lost. How you aren’t even sure if you are going to school for the right reasons. 

Well, you are not alone. My name is Angela, I work in the CSU communications office and a few weeks ago I changed my major. I am going to share with you that journey and more.

I was a nursing major and had wanted to go into nursing for as long as I could remember. Last semester I started to doubt if nursing was something I wanted to do anymore. I hadn’t even gotten to applying for the program and I doubted if this was for me. Nursing is very competitive and there is a lot of pressure on students to do everything possible to get into the nursing program. I found myself dreading my classes and becoming not interested in what I was learning. I decided to try it for one more semester, kept the pre-nursing track going but I found myself looking into new majors. I felt ashamed at first that I wanted to change my major. I felt as if there was a stigma on students who change their majors. I realized that there is no stigma; it was more my own self wanting to find a reason not to change my major. I learned recently that many students doubt their major and change it.

I ended up coming to the realization a few weeks ago that nursing was not for me. While I was 100 percent certain, I personally shut down because changing your major mid-semester a few weeks before registration opens is stressful. I felt like there was nothing I could do and felt very overwhelmed. So if you are someone who also is in this shut-down stressed-out mindset, here is what I did to help myself.

I first looked at majors offered at Mankato. 

I looked at majors that intrigued me, read into the majors, looked at potential jobs after graduation, and more. 

Once I knew the college of my potential new major, I scheduled an appointment on mavconnect with a general advisor of that major.

I was able to talk about how the process of changing your major goes, they walked me through submitting the forms for a major change. 

I, no lie, immediately felt like a weight was lifted off my shoulder the moment I pressed the ‘major button’. 

I was able to meet with a newly assigned advisor and we worked together to plan my next few years at Mankato. This was especially important to me because I had never taken economics, accounting, or health classes.

My advisor was able to help me feel supported and understand that I was not alone.  I am now an applied health science major with a prep track in healthcare administration. This is a very long name for a major might I add, but I have no regrets. 

I have also felt every single emotion during this process. I was able to lean on my friends, my sorority sisters, my boss, my co-workers, and others during this process. Going to others during a change in life is okay, you should not be ashamed to change your major. 

The best way I can describe how changing my major felt was through the stages of grief. You are basically closing a chapter you have had set for yourself. And that is okay. It is okay to be super upset about changing your major. It is okay to shut down, maybe even fall behind in your classes for a time. It is okay to feel happy and relieved that you changed your major. I felt and did all of those things and more.

I was able to tell my professors what was going on and they supported me and let me take the time I needed to process this change.

Changing your major is not a bad thing, it does not make you a bad student! It does not mean you are not enough. I felt like I was not enough because I didn’t want to be a nursing major anymore, but the truth is I was always enough. Changing your major does not change who you are and should not make you feel less than.

If you notice your classes aren’t giving you joy and aren’t filling you up look into new majors. Do not stay in something that will drain you day by day. (Keep in mind I am saying this as my own feelings and why I changed. I am not implying or suggesting to change your major)

Something I have heard time and time again from ‘adults’, advisors, professors, bosses, and more is to not pick a career that does not bring you joy. Pick a career that will make you want to get out of bed every day. Do something that makes you happy, not something your parents told you to do, not something you thought you’d like as a kid, and not a major that will ‘pay well’.

Now if you’ve made it to the end and related to what I have said or want advice or someone to talk to I am always open to talking to anyone and being a support system for them.  I have been in these shoes and I might not have perfected everything but know you are not alone.

My email is: angela.murphy-friendshuh@mnsu.edu