Meet Jazlyn Purnell! Jazlyn is a Junior Biology Pre-pharmacy major from Fayetteville, Arkansas. Along with being Parent Ambassador, Jazlyn is involved with the Volunteer Action Center Literacy Program and the U of A Inspirational Chorale. Jazlyn’s favorite Razorback tradition is saying the chants and cheers at the football games.
Did you know that, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 80 percent of college students end up changing their majors once they enter college?
For college students, especially freshmen, deciding to change their major is something that is very common and definitely not unheard of. On average, students will change their major about three times during their college career. A lot of students come to college, ahead of the game, already knowing what they want to study and what type of career they will pursue in the future. However, there are many times when students actually start college and receive their first load of course work for their major studies, they realize that maybe that particular route is not what they thought it would be. They decide that they do not want to proceed with studying that major because it is not for them and realize that another major would better suit their knowledge, enjoyment, and abilities. And, by the way, this is totally normal.
College students are very indecisive at times; like when deciding majors, picking classes to take, choosing what to eat for dinner that night. Our minds are always changing. This is understandable, however, because it is college. When it comes to thinking about our career paths, we want to make sure that what we are studying will be sufficient enough to get us on that path. We also want to be sure that we are able to comprehend the work that we are given and receiving the best grades to match.
Remember that there is an 8 out 10 chance that this might be the case of your student. Most likely your student will discuss wanting to change their major with you first because your thoughts and opinions matter. If this does happen, I encourage you to support and reassure your student because they might be feeling a little disappointed in themselves for not being able to tackle their first choice major. Remind them that there is no set route when trying to achieve a goal, instead there are multiple ways to get there. Encourage your student to speak with their advisor because they can provide some great insight and advice, as well as, tell them how to go about changing their major.
Changing your major at the University of Arkansas is not a hard process at all. For most colleges, whether your student is in Fulbright, Dale Bumpers, Walton, Engineering etc., your student will need to set up an appointment with their advisor to receive the paper work needed to request the major change.
If your student decides that a different major would better suit them, reassure them that these decisions are normal and will not set them back despite what a few may think. If your student goes about it the right way by talking to their advisor, it will not hinder them in any way. Support them and tell them to do what they think is best for their college experience and future.