Hey, Bloggers:

I hope everything is going well for all of you during your first weeks of school. I’m pretty much all settled in and the homework is piling up. Woo-hoo! I don’t mind it so much, though, because all of my classes revolve around my major, English Teaching for high school. But English Teaching wasn’t always my major and the whole transition from major-to-major really got me thinking. Are any of you guys worried that you absolutely have to declare a major now to be content at school; are you worried you might not be in the right one?

Well, stop worrying so much! I know it’s hard to go to college, to have friends who know exactly what they want to do for a career and how they’re going to do it, to feel like you have absolutely no clue what you want to do with your life, or to be unsure about the major you’re already declared as. But sometimes learning about ourselves and the things we love to spend our time doing is the first step, and it’s actually one of the biggest parts of going to college. It’s important to understand that not everyone takes that step at the same time, and that you have plenty of time to feel things out.

Take me, for example. When I was in high school, my passion was for Marketing and I was in all kinds of business classes. I helped manage my school store, I was a member of DECA, and I even got an award at the end of my senior year for being a great business student. Naturally, because I did well in Marketing, I thought it was my calling in life and so that’s what I majored in for my first year of college. But, wow, what a difference! I got into a great business school and I absolutely hated everything about it—go figure. I felt too pressured to become a CEO, to spend all of my time networking in order to help myself instead of helping others. Like some of you, I wasn’t sure if it was the right decision to drop the major or if I should just suck it up. But by the end of the year I was still miserable. I finally realized business wasn’t for me and I became Undeclared.

So, how did I become an English Teaching major? Well, I’ve always loved writing and I really enjoyed my high school experience. I became very close with a few of my teachers and I remained in contact with them throughout college. But that’s not exactly what made up my mind. I decided to stay Undeclared for my entire sophomore year, to take general education courses and see if any of them really sparked my interest. I took literature classes and creative writing, making babies and nutrition, Spanish and theatre and dance. I took all kinds of classes, and what it really came down to was my love of writing and self-expression, and my love of helping others to succeed. English Teaching fulfilled all of those requirements and that’s how I knew.

So, don’t worry if you’re not on the same track as your peers and if you don’t have it all figured out. College is a major learning experience…literally. You learn about yourself, the world and the way you perceive things in major ways; and you learn exactly what you want your major to be in the midst of it (if you don’t already know). So take your time to figure yourself out, relax, and try new things. Remember, too, that Rome wasn’t built in a day and your transcript won’t be either.

Until next time,

Kendra