Every year incoming freshmen face the decision of choosing a major in a timely way, but sometimes choosing one too quickly can force students to back track in the long-run. It’s OK for freshmen to wait to choose a major, said Dr. Carl Chando, University of Memphis Academic Counseling Center coordinator.
“Our goal is to prepare students for a major, not to ill advise,” Chando said.
One way The U of M helps students decide a major is by offering career counseling in Wilder Tower. Students can meet with a counselor who will not only advise students with their general education, but will also help students find their strengths and weaknesses. Chando also said taking interest and personality inventories is a good way to see what area would be compatible with the student.
Interest and personality inventories are surveys that ask students questions about themselves, and then take their responses and match it with a likely career field or major.
“Before you choose your major, you want to explore your personality, interests and aptitudes,” Chando said. “You want to be confident the major you choose is the one that’s good for you.”
Students who choose a major without exploring these options run the risk of changing majors and delaying graduation.
U of M student Nicole Nippert is one of many students who decided a major their freshman year before considering all the options.
“I just chose a major because I thought that’s what I wanted,” Nippert said. “I really didn’t know what I wanted to do or what would fit me.”
This fall Nippert will be entering into her fourth year at The U of M; however, it will not be her last.
Nippert started her freshman year with a major in marketing, and by the spring of her sophomore year, she changed her major to fashion merchandising. Changing majors means changing classes and going in a different direction. Students who change a lot often find their transcripts filled with classes they have taken but don’t need, along with a list of classes they need but haven’t taken.
Bad scores in calculus and other math classes required in the marketing major also lowered Nippert’s GPA.
“It turned out I didn’t even need those classes for fashion merchandising,” Nippert said.
Fortunately she knew to take a few fashion merchandising classes before she declared it her major, something Chando strongly advises students who haven’t chosen a major to do.
“I usually advise undecided students to take at least one course in their interested area,” Chando said.
Although taking a few classes in fashion merchandising early assisted Nippert with the change in majors, it was still not enough to graduate on time. Nippert said she could either graduate a year later than the planned 2006 graduation or just a semester late. She said she would have to take about 20 hours each semester in order to graduate in December 2006.
“It just messes everything up,” Nippert said
