2008 Woodie Awards
Changing majors becoming more common for underclassmen
By Anna Cypher
Issue date: 10/19/07 Section: Focus
Nearing the end of October, many students are beginning to feel the crunch of academic work.
And with fall break and Homecoming now over, the pressure is on as students gear up for the work ahead.
But for some, between the writing of papers and the cramming of dates and facts, some students may begin to wonder if they're in the right major.
Often these questions and frustrations are just results of too much caffeine and too little sleep. Sometimes, though, they can be a wake-up call.
For Benjamin Kowalczyk, 23, now a junior finance major, a loss of interest in his accounting classes last year spurred him to look elsewhere for a major that could hold his attention.
"The homework started to bore me," Kowalczyk said.
And he's not the only one.
According to the MSNBC Web site, "50 percent of (college freshmen) who do declare a major, change majors-with many doing so two or three times during their college years."
Valerie Kremer, 21, knew that she needed a change of pace when her introductory education courses weren't what she expected.
"I always wanted to make a difference and help people," Kremer said.
She said ever since eighth grade, she loved working with kids, but by fall of her sophomore year, found that majoring in elementary education wasn't really for her.
So a student finds out what doesn't interest them. But then the question still stands: How do they find out what is for them?
Some students come to school with the end result already in mind, but many come with more questions than even Bailey Library has answers for.
When Brady Crytzer stepped onto SRU's campus as an exploratory major nearly four years ago, he had ideas of becoming a zoologist.
Now a senior secondary education major, he encourages others who may think about changing majors to "keep an open mind" when taking liberal studies.
He said he felt around to see what he liked, and really started to like his history classes. But courses weren't the only factor for him.
And with fall break and Homecoming now over, the pressure is on as students gear up for the work ahead.
But for some, between the writing of papers and the cramming of dates and facts, some students may begin to wonder if they're in the right major.
Often these questions and frustrations are just results of too much caffeine and too little sleep. Sometimes, though, they can be a wake-up call.
For Benjamin Kowalczyk, 23, now a junior finance major, a loss of interest in his accounting classes last year spurred him to look elsewhere for a major that could hold his attention.
"The homework started to bore me," Kowalczyk said.
And he's not the only one.
According to the MSNBC Web site, "50 percent of (college freshmen) who do declare a major, change majors-with many doing so two or three times during their college years."
Valerie Kremer, 21, knew that she needed a change of pace when her introductory education courses weren't what she expected.
"I always wanted to make a difference and help people," Kremer said.
She said ever since eighth grade, she loved working with kids, but by fall of her sophomore year, found that majoring in elementary education wasn't really for her.
So a student finds out what doesn't interest them. But then the question still stands: How do they find out what is for them?
Some students come to school with the end result already in mind, but many come with more questions than even Bailey Library has answers for.
When Brady Crytzer stepped onto SRU's campus as an exploratory major nearly four years ago, he had ideas of becoming a zoologist.
Now a senior secondary education major, he encourages others who may think about changing majors to "keep an open mind" when taking liberal studies.
He said he felt around to see what he liked, and really started to like his history classes. But courses weren't the only factor for him.
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