Don’t feel pressured to switch majors for the approval of others
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If you’ve ever been on TikTok, Reddit or any other social media platform, and looked up “college major,” you will undoubtedly come across questions and debates. You’ll find videos discussing things like “why do business majors get a bad rep?” or “humanities majors vs. STEM majors vs. business majors.” Each major comes forward to compare who has it worse in terms of rigor and which is most useful to obtain a career with.
When I scrolled through those videos, I found an endless number of them poking fun at business majors, comparing their finals to completing a page in a coloring book, while the comments and replies said humanities majors will end up working as baristas.
While scrolling, I saw humanities majors argue that their degree taught life skills. STEM majors argued that their degree was the only useful one due to their heavy impact on society, and business majors argued that their degree made the most money, thus giving them the best return on college investment.
And while I can tell myself that others’ opinions don’t matter, the truth is other people’s perceptions often do matter, in fact, a lot. So much that those assumptions can take a hit on one’s goals and mental health.
Throughout high school, I performed well in and thoroughly enjoyed taking courses like AP United States History, AP Literature and media studies classes, so when the time came to apply to college, I planned to major in communications or English at every college I applied to. My excitement was met with skepticism by guidance counselors, my friends and even my family.
I was met with comments like, “are you sure?” “you have such excellent grades — don’t you want to try something more rigorous?” and, of course, “will you make enough money with that major?”
So I gave into their opinions and changed my major to human development and psychology on a pre-physician’s assistant track. I later added a business minor, leaning into the common belief that business majors make money. At the end of the day, as someone who dislikes science and whose true passions lie elsewhere, this was a mistake. And I knew it.
It all led to constant stress about my assignments, my future coursework and my post graduate plans. I fell into a depression almost any time I had class or had to register for classes, ultimately taking a major toll on my mental health.
In my sophomore year, I took the step to officially change my major and minor. I will admit, it took me a while to distance myself, strengthen my confidence and ignore the assumptions and beliefs of the people around me — and on the internet — about my major.
I now love my courses, the work and my professors, and simply going to class feels purposeful and no longer like a chore. While I no longer feel the need to compare my major to others, it made me wonder how many people still find themselves trapped inside a culture of comparing majors and how it must be affecting them.
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When asked about stereotypes and assumptions people make about his major, Will Akerson, a junior majoring in supply chain management at the Whitman School of Management, stated that he is aware of the stigma that says business majors are only in it for the money. But his main influences for becoming a business major were familial influences and based upon his own personal interests. The common stereotype is not reflective of himself or your average business major, he said.
Sydney Sun, a sophomore also in Whitman studying management, expressed that when she tells people she is a business major, she is often met with judgment from people in other majors who do not seem to take her courses as seriously or feel the need to compare their courses to hers. She said she believed that it is harmful.
“It feels like people are constantly competing against each other but there shouldn’t be any competition to begin with, as we all come to college with different goals,” Sun said.
Kinara Orozco, a junior studying history at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, said that while she is not sure whether or not people’s comments or questions come from a place of judgment, a common question she gets is “what are you going to do with a history degree?” She wishes that people did not feel the need to compare or question others about their academic choices at all.
We must acknowledge that this pressure starts at a young age, often before high school and college. We cannot tell young people not to follow their passions simply because some assume that a degree may be useless, or they won’t make any money, or because you believe they are “above” a certain major. For students, as difficult as it might seem, you must be willing to power through and ignore those assumptions, stereotypes,comments and questions to focus on your own major and goals, because you are the one who will live with these decisions.
These different paths are what make our world so unique and wonderful. We need teachers, doctors and lawyers as much as we need artists, geologists, historians and entrepreneurs. Every path or major or career is purposeful, and only you should have a say in the matter.
Kaitlyn Paige is a sophomore studying communication and rhetorical studies. Her column appears biweekly. She can be reached at kipaige@syr.edu.
