Now, it might not be the case for everyone, however, most students unknowingly come to college having only one track in mind. There is nothing wrong with that, but there is also nothing wrong with being indecisive. For example, if you have one focus, you’re doing great at it and you love what you’re doing, you’re probably on the right track. However, if you’re thinking about a focus, and you love it, yet you’re struggling to balance your academics and personal life, perhaps it’s beneficial to take a step back and think for yourself. I know you may hear this a lot after coming to campus, but take this from your fellow peers. University of Rochester indeed has a flexible curriculum, but half of the students follow what their advisers advise, which may be a given if you’re new on campus – whether you’re a first-year or transfer student. But it’s also beneficial to keep in mind that your professors and your advisers went to school probably in a very different environment than you are right now.
One’s inspiration for a certain major or career path are often due to external influences, e.g. family, entertainment, experiences, etc. These are also the influences that create the core values of a person, which is why it makes it even harder for one to give up on a major and accept a new one or their prime goal is to finish their degree for that major. Otherwise, you’re left feeling pounds of guilt. But would you rather digest the guilt over time or get dragged through college on a path you’re not motivated to walk on? Figuratively speaking, when someone drags you somewhere you don’t want to go, your body will resist and you will get hurt – emotionally and physically. And college is not the place where you want to tumble.
“I initially wanted to go to med school and chose Biochem after watching a video about the best majors for it. By sophomore year, the pressure of STEM classes was overwhelming, and I realized I couldn’t sustain that for six to eight more years. Spending time in the lab, I discovered a passion for research and problem-solving, which felt more aligned with natural sciences. It’s important to remember that switching majors is okay; you don’t need to overwhelm yourself as a freshman. Most students don’t truly know what they want to do before college, and there’s always room to explore different paths. High school can give you a general idea of your interests, but college exposes you to diverse perspectives that might spark new passions. It’s okay to change direction. If you’re focused and committed, you’ll reach your goals regardless. However, having every step planned can limit your experience. Life is about exploration and self-discovery, not just following a checklist. Embrace the journey instead of restricting yourself.” -K. Adhikari, Class of 2025
From a personal level, I came from a high school with an accelerated program, where by your high school graduation, you have a certificate in either business, nursing, or technology, so that you can get early exposure to these fields of interest, as well as an entry level job. Now, I have always been fascinated with the idea of being able to help people in underdeveloped regions with their access to healthcare and medication. I can see how it’s reasonable that when the child me said this, everyone around me just assumed that I would pursue medicine – and maybe, I just might some day in the future, In’Sha’Allah. But I specifically remember when my RN explained their specific responsibilities that had to do a lot with direct patient care and not much to do with everything else, and that doctors had even less interactions with people, something dimmed inside of me. But I still pushed forward with medicine, perhaps due to the environment around me at home and school. In secondary education (such as high school), students often end up making friends with people who have similar interests, backgrounds, or personalities. Because of this, they mostly spend time with others who think and act in similar ways; therefore, limiting their chances to learn about the wide variety of careers and life paths that exist outside of their small circle. This can make it harder for them to see all the different opportunities available to them in the real world, holding back their understanding of what is possible for their future. to all the different possibilities of careers and outcomes that exist in the real world.
What happens in a higher education environment is that you have people from all backgrounds, with multiethnic, multi-regional experience, and all of a sudden, no one assumes you are going on a specific track anymore.
It gets to a point where if you pick a focus, and you give your reasoning, your reasoning has to have its own reasoning for others to understand why you chose what you chose. And in that way, you can be sure of what you want to pursue.
“My first semester in Chemistry 131 was tough and a significant shift from high school. I told myself, ‘This is just what college is,’ and tried to adapt. However, as I watched upperclassmen volunteering, I realized that being premed didn’t truly interest me. I felt unmotivated and unhappy with the opportunities available. That summer, I explored non-STEM careers related to neuroscience and discovered law. I attempted to convince myself that it was the right path, but then I stumbled upon some engaging computer science memes that excited me. The real-time application of computer science became my new motivation for changing my major. While Rochester’s open curriculum is appealing, it can also leave students feeling lost. Many end up focusing on their majors without exploring other options, leading to a lack of diverse experiences. To truly benefit from the open curriculum, it’s essential to use it effectively.” – R. P., Class of 2026
Most of the time when first-year students start school, the first thing everybody wants to do is to race out to finish their major classes.; but we have minors and clusters as well and we tend to leave that for the after. And at times that’s the problem. The whole point of the university making it a requirement for you to have experience in the 3 fields of natural science, social science, and humanities is so that you know what you like, what suits your ever-changing interest and what you may be good at. This system is known as the cluster system, which allows students to build an interdisciplinary understanding of subjects and fields of work. Each cluster contains a minimum of twelve credits of coursework, which is equivalent, in most cases, to three courses. This system acts as the alternative to the traditional general education system.
You may hear this a lot, “Don’t worry you still have time to choose [majors], [careers].” And you do have time, but at the same time you do not. The University has you declare your major by the end of sophomore year – you can also do it later, however make sure to meet with your financial counselor. Due to this reason, most students end up focusing on their major classes, and essentially missing out on 2 years of experience with other fields. Therefore, if they were to switch majors after, they feel behind – even if they may not be.
It’s important to keep in mind that the person you may be in high school will be different in comparison to the person you are going to be in college.
“I love the brain. I find it so mystifying – that nothing ever stays the same, there are many nerves, so much to learn, so much that is unknown. My first semester was great, but I quickly realized that the coursework, like learning to identify dog pedigrees, wasn’t what I expected. I expected a lot more about brains. Perhaps it could have been more concentrated further down the line, but with the classes I have already taken, I feared that if I continued, I might lose my passion for the brain – which I do not want at all. And also, being an international student and pre-med, I have no time to spare to wait for the classes to be more concentrated. I feel that for now, I have learned what I wanted to know and that is enough for me; perhaps somewhere down the line, I can apply that knowledge somewhere. My first semester, I remember I met this person who said that their major was clinical and translational sciences, and that just stuck to me you know? The best thing about this is that the classes I’m taking for this major are the same as my pre-med classes, whereas my BCS and pre-med classes were completely different. Like the pressure I felt balancing both my pre-med classes and BCS, the mental and physical pressure – I was going crazy. And you know me, when I get curious, I have to find out what it is. So, I spoke to like 2-3 people and told myself, ‘Haya, you have to jump.’” – H.A. Arhayem, Class of 2027
If you’re still reading this, the whole point of you hearing from your peers is just for one goal: Be confident in your choice, but if there is a spark of interest anywhere down the road, be confident enough to leap at that spark. You may feel a little behind, but what matters at the end is what is going to be your next step. Down the line, whatever major you choose or however much time you take to complete your degree will not matter because what matters is can you use it for your next step? After 4-6 years, are you really going to be worried about a specific degree, or are you going to be worried about the next degree? Most of the time, one would end up using their bachelor’s degree for the next one. And when you do, then the specifics of your degree won’t be asked about, but if you’re using that degree for a job, then that’s where it will matter.
Whether college is an exploration for you or a task to be checked off a list for the path you’re headed on, it definitely needs a balance between your personal life and your academics. More often than not, college students are the patients being diagnosed with depression, anxiety, ADHD, and other mental health distress. If you’re an incoming student to the University of Rochester, follow that spark for your own sake. It’s important for you to be studious, but even more important for you to enjoy what you’re doing. The human mind does not like being forced to do something it does not want to, essentially producing a fight or flight sort of response, where one may resist, but they will be drained of energy. If a topic interests you, but you do not like what you’re doing in class, now is the time for you to take risks; rather than either ending up hating the one subject you admired or regretting it later on, but with much more significant consequences.
It is ever so a Meliora move to embrace change or to reassess your journey to make it more suited to your interests while steadying your career path.