Many students at Oregon State University have struggled with their major. When in this situation, it is important to reach out and ask for help. I have been in this situation before where I changed majors twice throughout my time in college.

When it gets too difficult or the major isn’t of interest anymore, it is time to take a step back and think.

“We as students spend 12 years in a closed academic environment and are now for the first time allowed to make our own decisions and manage our own time. It is a lot to handle when also living on your own for the first time,” said Drew Hare, a fourth-year academic learning assistant at Weatherford Hall, in an email.

The rest of your life is set up by your major, so you should think carefully if the major you are pursuing is right for you.

Myself included. I have struggled to choose the right major that aligns with my interests, as a result of doing everything in public school.

The first major I chose was architectural engineering because I just liked engineering. I wanted to be able to design and create buildings that would be beneficial to society.

This major lasted until the winter term of my second year.

My first year was mostly Baccalaureate Core classes. These classes felt relatively easy to me. The engineering classes didn’t involve math. It was akin to going on YouTube and looking up interesting facts about engineers.

Then my second year hit. There were engineering classes that were tougher than my first-year classes and I felt blindsided. The more I finished the calculus classes, there were more classes like statics and dynamics which involved more math and physics. Those subjects were weak for me. I knew it was not for me, but many of my friends didn’t seem to struggle.

I was constantly behind my peers in grades. I did go get help for classes, but it still seemed like the future was blurry. For people who are in a situation like I was in, I recommend talking to someone at the Academic Success Center.

OSU has provided a place for students to find the help they need for their academics whether it be online or on-campus.

In an email from Anna Bentley, the operations manager at the Academic Center, she said, “At the Academic Success Center, we work with students to help them find resources tailored to their unique needs, and we introduce learning strategies and tools to help students take their learning habits and systems to the next level.”

One piece of advice that I have is to figure out your learning capabilities, whether it is taking fewer credits or putting more effort into harder classes.

After architectural engineering, I switched to computer science due to having the same engineering core classes. That means it wouldn’t be a significant switch and I would graduate on time.

I also feared that I would be behind my classmates if I switched to a major that was outside the College of Engineering. I kept struggling in a lot of my classes and was just in constant anxiety that I would fail.

With these two majors, it was always a constant cycle. I would think, “I just need to get done with these requirements and I will get to the easier or more fun classes.” The question I forgot to ask myself is how much can I endure these hard classes?

I asked my family for help on majors that would fit my interests and capabilities, my sister actually found some majors and had me look over them. That winter break of my third year I changed my major, it was very late but better late than never.

I wish I realized that engineering was not for me sooner, instead of waiting it out for a whole year until I couldn’t take it anymore.

Since my goal was to be a User Experience designer after college, I found a major called Digital Communication Arts. This major allowed me to try more software and learn more about how to be a digital designer.

“It is a punishing feeling seeing those around you already seem as though they know what they’re doing and have picked the right path,” Hare said. “But at the same time, despite the negativity which encompasses feeling lost, it also provides the perfect opportunity to explore.”

Although I do feel disappointed that I didn’t change majors sooner, I am glad that I tried engineering. If I didn’t then I would be constantly thinking about why I did not try a harder major.

“The best tip for students struggling academically or who are unsure about themselves is to open up and speak with trusted people in their life. We know so much about ourselves, and yet often we can often be the most blind to our own needs,” Hare said.

Being undecided my first year and finishing all my Bacc Core classes would have saved me more money.

My advice for students who are feeling lost in their major is to switch to being undecided and try intro classes from different majors. Ask family and friends for advice on switching majors and try researching classes, possible career opportunities and networking.

If you are content with your current major and are just struggling with classes, reach out to the academic success center for help on studying, peer tutoring for certain classes, time management and more.