From ages 16 to 18, we’re often told that we need to have a plan for how we’re going to be successful after college: by choosing a major. We are conditioned to think that if we have not chosen a major by the time we’re seniors, we won’t be successful in college. To some extent this is true. You do need to have some kind of plan in order to set yourself up for success in the future; however, the constant pressure to make sure students have a major chosen by the time they’re in college is problematic. It’s problematic because 1) students are not able to explore their options as much due to time constraints and 2) students are always being pitted up against one another about who’s got their life figured out first. he constant questioning and pressuring of students to have a major chosen by the time they’re in college should be nonexistent, because it causes so much stress and tension between students and their peers and family.
If anything, I believe students shouldn’t have to make a decision the year before they get to college on what major they want to pursue a career in. To be frank, as long as finances and ambition are all set, students should take as much time as they want with choosing a major so they don’t regret their decisions (and student loan debt) in the future.