How many times did you change your major?

I started out in Physics but switched to Engineering because it offered so many more employment opportunities.

Look around you right now. Go ahead! I’ll wait…. Virtually everything you see was designed by an engineer or built on machines designed by engineers. All of the materials you see were designed and specified by engineers. Engineers have a hand in every product you use. Engineers designed the vehicles that brought the products to your door and the ones that will take them away when you are finished with them.
Theoretical Physicists? Mmmm… not so much.
I’m glad I switched.

” Majoring first in Journalism and switching to Physics? ”

The other way around would be more likely!

People that declare science majors generally change to another science major, though that is not an absolute. I declared my major as biology and that was that.

the question is, what do you want to work as and in what industry?

you better think ahead carefully because you don’t want to end up regretting things you shouldn’t have done.

I started off in Computer Engineering and, after my very first class, I realized that it just wasn’t for me. The other students were so arrogant and full of themselves that I could barely stand it. The following year I transferred to Civil Engineering. I liked it a lot more than Computer but it still wasn’t for me. Luckily I had a wonderful academic counselor who helped me discover my true calling in Hospitality Management, to which I switched during the second semester of my sophomore year. It was the best decision I’ve made for my career and I now have a wonderful job with an amazing company (thanks to the internship opportunities that arose during my time at the university) and I wouldn’t trade any of it for the world.

Went from Environmental Design to Building Construction (Now called Construction Science). My business partner went from Building Construction to Environmental Design then back to Building Construction.
My wife went from Zoology to Medical Technology.

Marketing
Paralegal
Web Design

I have a degree in nothing.

Chemical Engineering to Chemistry, so not a major switch, but I also knew I liked chemistry from midway through High School, which admittedly is rather unusual. I had a incorrect assumption of what it meant to be a chemical engineer was part of the issue.

And yeah, it is true that a large amount of college students do change, but don’t let that stop you from doing what you want to do. That’s the real issue, freshman don’t necessarily know what they actually want to do, and part of college is figuring that out.

@LuckyGuy while I’m glad you found a major that suits you better (and the work of engineers is many times overlooked), don’t diss the theoretical physicists. Where do you think the theory came from that allowed the engineers to build that stuff? Engineers wouldn’t be capable of making smartphones without the understanding of electricity that come from theoretical physics, for instance.

Started as a French major, moved to Elementary Education.

None.

Once, from Undecided/Pre-Med to Communications because I’m much better at words than chemistry.

Just once. At the end of my Freshman year, I switched from Math to Business Economics. Math was getting in the way of my drinking.

Once. Nursing to Psychology.

I did not change my major at all: English Lit BA, English Lit MA, and I’m applying for an English Lit PhD I’m insane!. However, I do know a lot of people from my department who did change their majors—students and professors alike.

One student almost completed her Engineering degree and then switched to English. Another student took one quarter of his courses for his Aerospace Engineering degree before he switched to English. My best friend began her degree in Biology, dropped out during her last year, started again in another university, and decided to specialize in radiology, then switched to ultrasound technician.

One of our professors started out in music and wanted to be an opera singer. Another professor studied French, then linguistics, and then settled in Medievalism.

College is a period of growth. Some people change and find new things that interest them, or get disappointed by the old things that used to interest them, while others have their academic desires reinforced in the classroom.

Zero.

Zero also.

17 times. From psychology to philosophy.

@talljasperman I didn’t even know it was possible to change your major 17 times within 4 years!

@Aesthetic_Mess 2 years I never finished. I got some of what I wanted and left half way… If I had finished the degree it wouldn’t have helped me much more anyway to get a job. I could theoretically go back and finish my psychology to the masters level and become a psychologist… But it is too much of a burden right now. Right now my job is filling out surveys online and I Fluther.

I never changed my major. Or minor. Everyone said I would because everyone changes it up. Not me!

I started school in agricultural engineering and changed after the first semester. I spent two and a half years in geology, have several associate degrees in technology, an undergrad in electrical engineering and working on and off on a masters in computer engineering. Changing majors is normal…and smart. It’s just part of finding yourself. If high school was worth anything you would already have a good idea but most of us don’t even know what we are good at or like to do starting college at 18 or 19.

I started with accounting and quickly started thinking of suicide. Luckily a few years of economics was needed for accounting. I switched to economics since I didn’t want to die after leaving econ classes.

The best part of the story is that you need a few years of accounting for a econ degree. So I was still miserable. Just less miserable.

@BhacSsylan Oh… believe me I am not dissing theoretical physicists. Everyone has a place. There just seemed to be a lot more places for engineers.

1. English
2. Philosophy (Spent most of my time here.)
3. Religious Studies
4. Women’s Studies

I got my two year degree at a community college, my major was Psychology. I wanted to end up on the research end.
I went to a four year school with my major still Psych and my minor as Theater Arts.
During the second semester of my junior year I had to take Statistics. I couldn’t handle it at all and squeaked by with a D in the class.

I realized that there was no way I could handle research if I couldn’t handle Stats (okay it wasn’t quite that simple, but you get the drift) .So I figured if I was just gonna have a throw-away major just to get a bachelor’s degree, I was gonna major in Theater. Psychology then became my minor.

None- I was ‘undeclared’ in Science, then left after one year.

Switching wasn’t an option when I was in college. If it was, I might have lasted more than a year.