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Take a look at this other student experience story:
Transfer and change major You found that you were interested in something totally different from your enrolled major. What did you do about it?
Lauren
Sophomore, 19 years old
"Not enjoying my major"
Previous Major(s): Textiles
Current/Changed Major(s): Business Management with concentration in Marketing; Minor in Spanish
Major Dilemma
When I was a freshman I came in and was a textile major and I took two
classes, the Intro. to Textiles and then a Textile Technology class. After
I was in it, about half way through the semester, I wasn't really enjoying
it and thinking it wasn't really something I wanted to study for the four
years or even have a job [in this field] one day.
So, I kind of started thinking about changing majors and see if there
were some things better for me. I really thought back to high school and
what I had taken--a marketing class and I really enjoyed that, did well
in it and it was very interesting to me.
I didn't talk with anyone in business management but I did come [to
Advising Central here at NC State] and that's what my adviser [in Textiles]
had told me to do. He said to come talk to Advising Central and they will
take care of you until you get into business. Then they will set you up
with an adviser once you get into business college.
So, I looked into the business school [at State] and saw that there was
a marketing concentration that I could get into. I then went and talked
to my friends that were already in business management. They really enjoyed
it and said they liked it a lot and so that is basically what made me
decide to switch to business…talking with them and knowing that they
enjoyed it. They told me about what they were studying and it seemed interesting
to me.
Advice for Other Students
As soon as you think that you are not interested in your major it's really
important to look into another major. I wouldn't wait very long to do
it…just get right into it. Definitely talk to Advising Central and talk with an adviser
[in that College] as well as students already [in the College]. See
what [the students] think about [the major]. See if you could look over
some of their class notes and what they are doing and see if you can get
a feel from the students' perspective. I thought that was the best; my
friends talking about it and what they liked about it was more helpful
than talking to my old adviser and having him figure out what I wanted
to do.
If I Had to do This Over Again
I would probably go talk to the business
school… I never really did. I just came [to Advising Central] and
turned in my application to transfer. But I probably would go talk to
them and figure out exactly what they were about and maybe talk to them
about all of the different concentrations before I really go into [that
College and major].
The Results of my Decision
I definitely enjoy [my new major]. It's a better fit for me. It's
the things that I enjoy more because textiles is very physics and chemistry
and math and that's really not me. I like doing the things that we're
doing in business. Right now I'm taking the Intro. to Business Processes
and it's just a really interesting class. It's the things I can see myself
doing later down the road.
[In the future], I'm going to minor in Spanish that is also business
focused and hopefully I can do something with International Marketing
or something like that. I'm going to go to Spain probably next summer.
I want to do some different internships. I know a couple of people who
work for Bank of America and I'm going to try to get involved with them
and try to get a good internship.
Adviser Notes
This student was wise to talk with an adviser in Advising Central in order to learn more about the major in business management. Talking with a friend who was in the major was also a good way to get some practical information. Other suggestions that I have include:
- talking with professionals who work in various business fields in order to get a good understanding of the nature of work for business graduates (see tips on Informational Interviewing),
- meet with faculty who teach or advise in the business management program,
- attend a club or organization for business majors and talk with the members about their major,
- take a few courses in the program, and
- volunteer or get a paid internship/work experience in order to get practical exposure to the field of business (a co-op experience would be good to obtain once you are admitted to the major).
Check out other Student Experiences.
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