Choosing a Major: A Major Decision

I always thought I knew what I wanted to do. I had planned my life out, since I knew I wanted to become a doctor. Major in Biology, volunteer during my college career, take the MCAT's during my junior year, and go to medical school. However, as the years passed, my life took on a very different course than the one I had expected for my whole life!

Sometimes, you stick to something because you're afraid of what could happen if you decided to change and other times, you stick to it because you feel as if you have no other choice. Also, making a change can be very scary.

When I first came to UMass as a freshman, I majored in Biology. I was part of the BIOTAP program where all Biology majors lived together on two floors and studied together. We all took the same classes: Intro Bio, English, Calculus, and Chemistry. It was fun being part of a group of people with all the same interests, but the class itself was just a bit overwhelming. With a class of 500 people, it is very difficult to encompass everyone's needs-from those who've already taken A.P. Biology to those who have never even taken a single Biology course during high school. I was one of those students in the middle, but I still felt like I just got by. My grade did not reflect this attitude, but I always felt that I could have learned more, perhaps in a smaller, more encouraging environment.

By my sophomore year, I was having some doubts about my Biology classes. They were interesting, but not what I had thought they were. In my high school Biology class, I felt like I learned everything in depth, but here, we seemed to get the big picture, then skip onto another topic very quickly. I still received pretty good grades, but I didn't feel that it came naturally. The reality of maintaining good grades in order to get into medical school was also overwhelming. Even though I had a high GPA, the stress of maintaining it was sky high. I felt my college life was just studying, yet I never had enough time to study enough.

Second semester sophomore year, I found that I really enjoyed my psychology courses. Not wanting to give up my pre-med track as well, I took up Neuroscience. However, this made me look into my future, because if I did not get into medical school, then I would have to work in the lab, become a teacher, or work as a psychologist. And having experienced some of these, I didn't like them very much, and I couldn't see myself going into any of these fields.

That's when I decided to apply to the Nursing Program. However, since it's a very competitive program, I was told that only freshmen were allowed to apply. Discouraged, I talked to different professors and counselors. I was determined to work in the medical field, but if I couldn't get into medical school, I wanted a back up job that would still let me help and interact with patients. That was when I stumbled upon Nutrition, after talking to a family friend. Nutrition seemed like the perfect major. This was already the end of my sophomore year, but I was so happy that I had finally made up my mind. My advisor also told me that Nutrition is perfect, because not many doctors have a profound knowledge in Nutrition. Plus, being a nutritionist would mean that I could still talk to all kinds of patients and help them on a daily basis if I didn't get into medical school.

During the summer, I was tutoring math, and I realized that this was my strong subject. I loved numbers and I could solve problems really quickly and easily. My dad suggested business, which I wasn't too fond of at first, but I applied to the Isenberg School of Management, which is one of the top 10 business schools in the nation, and I was accepted!

Junior year, I dived into my business classes, taking courses that would overlap with all the business majors, since I was not sure which one to choose yet. I also took one Nutrition class, just so I could still have some science classes. I really enjoyed my classes and I now had spare time to really enjoy my college life.

Even though my major is now as far away from being a doctor as possible, it's not that business doesn't overlap somehow with medical school. I can always work in the finance department in a hospital and help patients with their bill!

I think the best part about UMass is that it is pretty easy to switch to a different major if you are having doubts about your own. I not only have a broad background of all the subjects I enjoy, but I can now really focus on a field I truly enjoy and love! Choosing a major is not easy, and it takes time, but keep trying and you will find one that you love! When one door closes on you, there's always another one that will open; just step out and try it! Who know? One day I might just go back to my passion of becoming a doctor!