Okay, so I’ve been thinking about changing my major for a while now. It’s sort of always been in the back of my mind, but it really got strong over the winter break. Frankly, I’m amazed I came into college with a major at all, given that I’m so scatterbrained and bad at making big decisions. Somehow, I chose one of the craziest majors of all…astrophysics.
Now, most if not all of you are probably thinking :O. That’s how most people react when I tell them I’m an astrophysics major. Then they start asking me questions like “How did you get into that? What are you going to do with that?” or they just say something like “Wow…”. Both reactions annoy me, so much so that often, I just say I’m undecided.
So…why did I major in astrophysics? Well, I saw a list of careers sometime in junior year, and “astronomer” just jumped out at me. When I was little, I was fascinated by space, stars, galaxies, etc. Then sometime in middle school, my interest in science went downhill, mostly due to dumb boring teachers. By junior year of high school, I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life, but certainly not science.
Thinking about it though, I realized that I could totally be an astronomer. I’m analytical, love a good challenge, and I love thinking about space, the universe, etc. Yes, I knew that it would require a LOT of physics, and yes, I knew I would eventually need to go to grad school and get my Ph.D., but I still wanted to do it. When I told my parents, my dad said “Well, at worst you’ll end up a high school science teacher.” and my mom was confused but I seemed enthusiastic enough and I’d been researching it, so she said Okay.
Now, I’m not so sure. It’s not the difficulty that scares me. I got 100% on my first physics exam and 88% on my first Diff. Eq. test (much better than I thought). Nor is it the technical-ness. I’m learning Python and VPython for my PA and I’m slowly but surely getting a handle on that. It’s just…I don’t know. I worry that I’m locking myself into something really specific. Do I want to do astrophysics for the rest of my life? I’m not sure, and that scares me.
So…what to choose, what to choose? I went through the entire list of majors on my school’s website(a LOT), and investigated a couple that seemed appealing. Then I saw one I’d never heard of before: Environmental Geosciences. I’ve looked into it, and it sounds really cool. I’d be studying the earth, the environment, how people impact it, climate change, all that cool stuff. And heck, I might as well go for the concentration in Geophysics, seeing as I will literally have half of the requirements filled by the end of the semester (math up to Diff. Eq. and Physics I).
So here’s the Pros of changing.
1) It’s more flexible, as far as careers. I might end up getting a Ph.D. and becoming a geology professor somewhere, or I could stop at a Master’s and work for an oil company, or as a geological consultant, or on an environmental problem of some sort, or something along those lines. Basically, I wouldn’t feel as locked in.
2) I could still graduate in four years. Right now, I’m taking chemistry and physics, which are part of the College of Natural Science requirements. Plus, I’ll be finished with math this year, which opens up more room. The earlier I decide on my major, the better off I’ll be.
3) It feels more practical. I mean, we all have to deal with the environment and the Earth, seeing as we live here. I’d be addressing issues like climate change, pollution, water quality, etc. My inner do-gooder thinks env. geo. is much better for actually impacting people’s lives, albeit indirectly.
There’s probably more, but those are all I can think of right now.
And the Cons:
1) It’s just as weird-sounding as astrophysics, but less impressive-sounding. This means I will not avoid the annoying-reaction thing. Then again, probably every major attracts its own annoying questions. I’ll just have to learn to deal with it. E.g. my friend wants to be a forensic anthropologist, which 90% of people think is either a coroner or like CSI. Neither are true.
2) I can almost predict my parent’s reaction right now. My dad (who is a Rush-worshipper that is already convinced that college attempts to make everyone a bleeding-heart liberal) will probably make some snarky comment about the global warming “hoax”. And my mom will probably just be really really confused. I told her I was taking an archaeology class, and my mom said “Is that like dinosaurs?” eyeroll Actually, paleontology is a subfield of geology…:D But really, in the end, I think they’ll come around. At least I won’t be an art history major or something. :P
3) I’d either half-heartedly continue my current PA or switch, neither of which appeal to me. For the record, as part of my scholarship package, I have a Professorial Assistantship, where I work with a professor for two years and get a monthly stipend. Since my professor is a theoretical cosmologist, and that requires LOTS more background than I have, I’ve just been learning Python and haven’t done much of what I would call “research”. I have read and discussed some papers with him, but I never really understood them. Still, I like my professor, and what I’m doing right now (making a model of the solar system with VPython). I’d feel really bad if I left him due to changing my major, especially since he’s said he’s worried he’ll give me a bad freshman-year experience and scare me out of the field. Plus, if I do major in Env. Geo., I’ll still need lots of computer skills since I’d be working with GPS, GIS, and stuff like that.
4) I’m not so sure about the quality of the Geology dept. here. Their website looks like a work in progress, and I’ve never met any Geology majors. I do know a few Physics/Astrophysics majors. I feel like this is something I’d have to discuss with an advisor.
5)This one’s probably the most relevant: I’m slightly overweight and out of shape. Geology would require a lot of fieldwork and physical labor. Still, maybe it could give me motivation to work out. :D And besides, even though I’m slow, I’ve done some hiking and camping and I enjoyed it.
So…I’m still confused. So I went online, and found Monster’s “Five Signs you Should Change your Major.”
1. You’re bored in your major courses. (1/2. Not sure if it’s the subject matter, or just that Diff.Eq. and Physics are in the morning.)
2. You’re doing poorly in your major courses.(0. Got on the Dean’s List last semester and poised to repeat the feat.)
3. You chose your current major without much thought. (0. Did quite a bit of research on astrophysics before picking it.)
4. You keep reading/asking about other majors.(1. I checked out a bunch of different majors over the break.)
5. You just can’t let the idea go. (1. Been thinking about it so much I can’t sleep some nights. Last night was one of them.)
3/5: change 2/5: talk about it with an advisor. 0-1/5. Hang tight for now. So basically, 2.5/5 means I need to talk to an advisor. I’m going to email them sometime soon and try to get this sorted out, especially since course selection for next year begins soon.
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