Shifting majors or courses is a common tendency among college students, especially those who are in their first or second year in college. A review published by an Ivy League school found that freshmen and sophomores tend to shift courses three to four times during college. There are many possible reasons why students switch majors; the most common of which is the realization that they’re more interested in another field than they are in the course they’re currently taking. This often happens when students don’t take time reading through the college’s course offerings before enrolling, or when they are exposed to fields of study that they never before realized they were into.
Switching or shifting majors is a major decision. This will have implications on financial costs, academic orientation, and your length of stay in college. So before you decide to shift out or into a major, educate yourself on the pros and cons by reading the outline below:
Pros and perks
One main advantage of switching majors, especially early on in college, is that you’re able to explore other options instead of staying in a course that you only feel mildly passionate about. If you’re willing to risk losing valuable time and money to pursue a different major, chances are, it’s something that you really want and will be determined to pursue. Shifting majors will also let you gain perspectives into different fields and subjects, allowing you to make the most of your college education and enhance your overall college experience.
Drawbacks and downsides
One of the main downsides to shifting majors is that some of the subjects you have already taken may not be credited in the curriculum of the course you’re transferring to. Aside from having wasted money on those classes, you may also have to spend more time in college. This is true especially when the major you’re switching to has prerequisite classes that you haven’t taken yet. Another drawback is that you’ll have to again adjust to a different academic framework and orientation. This isn’t a problem if you’re shifting to a related major, but if you’re going from Sociology to Computer Programming, you need to get up to speed with the basic theories and concepts of your new major.
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Aside from saving tuition money, tons of high school graduates go to community college to make productive use of their time as they figure out which field or discipline they want to major in. Instead of going straight to universities and enrolling under a four-year course program that you’re still unsure of, a good option you can take is to attend community college to explore different courses and fields. To help you decide whether to go to a community college or not, we’ve outlined some of the community college pros and cons.
Disadvantages and downsides
Community colleges cannot provide the ideal college experience you dream of because of limited exposure to student diversity. There is also a limited range of curricula and course programs offered in community colleges, and students can only be granted with Associate of Arts degrees. This is why most students who go to community colleges eventually transfer to universities and four-year colleges, where they can get their bachelor’s degrees.
Pros and perks
Along with low financial costs, another major perk of going to a community college is the assistance it provides students with transitioning from high school to college. Although the work load in community college courses are lower, it’s still effective in giving students a glimpse of what’s in store for them when they do decide to pursue four-year courses in universities. Taking up courses in community colleges may also help boost the GPAs of students who didn’t do so well in high school.
Most community colleges employ an open door policy, which means they accept all applicants regardless of their previous academic performance. So if your high school GPA doesn’t meet the minimum requirements at universities, you can opt to enroll in a community college first and boost your GPA before you go back and apply to four-year colleges and universities. The class sizes in community colleges also tend to be small, which ups professor-student interaction and allows lecturers to zero in on students’ areas of difficulty.
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