Students spend the last two years of high school soul searching for their dream career, with added pressure from parents, teachers and friends. Fast forward to college and some students realize the major they chose may not be what they are truly passionate about. Seton Hall accounts for students’ indecisiveness by providing them with the ability to change their major through a strategic process.
“Currently the change of major process is handled through a paper Curriculum Adjustment Form,” said Autumn Bucior, senior associate registrar. “The process begins when a student brings a Curriculum Adjustment form to the department chair that oversees the new major. The department chair or an advisor will meet with the student to review the student’s academic record and to discuss the requirements needed to complete the major.”
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Many students decide to change their major when the one they chose isn’t right for them.
Adrian Chavez/ Staff Photographer[/caption]
“Depending on the time of academic year, these requests from start to finish can take between two days to weeks to process,” said Bucior. “In October, the University plans to turn on a new feature in self-service that will enable students to declare or request a change in major, minor, or concentration online rather than through a paper form.”
Victoria Parnes, a junior public relations and journalism major, changed her major from marketing between the first and second semester of her freshman year.
“I just saw what public relations was and it was more on the writing side, while marketing is more on the scientific, analytic side,” said Parnes. “I was never really a math person, so I felt like public relations was what I wanted to do in the future.”
Hannah Nale, a junior social work major, switched her major once before and is in the process of switching it again. She was originally a nursing major and although she no longer desired being a nurse, Nale still wanted to major in something that helped people.
“I switched to social and behavior science after meeting with people at the Career Center who were helpful,” Nale said. “Since that was my major, I needed to take an intro to social work class and I instantly fell in love with it and decided that is what I want to be. I don’t know who let a bunch of 18-year-olds pick their majors as if they know exactly what they want to do.”
Bucior shared a piece of advice for students thinking about changing their major.
“Take a course in the subject area you are considering switching into,” she said. “This will allow you to interact with a professor in the department and potentially meet other students already pursuing that major.”
Kiah Conway can be reached at kiah.conway@student.shu.edu.
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