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Just Chirpin’
A Major Change…
Literally
By Brittany Ulman
Before I dive into my first published article, a short introduction of
myself should be given. Some of you may know me as Levi Olson’s
Aunt Bees or Amanda Rodeheffer-Olson’s little sister; others may not
know me at all. Other than being related to the Olson clan, I am
currently a freshman creative writing major at the Ball State
University’s Honors College. But before I started college, I
attended Ansonia High School and was the 2013 graduating class’
co-salutatorian. Although I am adjusting, college life was
definitely a major change for me. So as I experience new life
experiences at Ball State, I am going to record some of the more
humorous or challenging events through this new column. I hope it
lives up to my sister’s Life With Levi column so the family tradition
will continue.
Well it happened.
And let me tell you, it was NOT easy.
Going into my freshman year at Ball State University, I was confident
in my choice of major. Dietetics seemed like the ideal
profession. I even had a specific, ambitious career path etched
in my mind. But as college took its course, something inside of
me changed. I came to the realization that I wanted to major in
something that makes me happy; something that comes easy to me.
So I made one of the toughest decisions of my life—I changed my major.
Going from dietetics to creative writing is one huge jump—a jump that
has raised many eyebrows. Not too many people go from one end of
the spectrum to the other, except for me. A person that cannot
seem to stick to the norm. An individual who simply enjoys almost
every subject (except for calculus maybe).
So as I attempt to pursue these new aspirations of mine, of course I
have constant naggings of whether I made the right choice.
Deciding a major is one of the most difficult events in a person’s
life. How can an 18-year-old (or in my case 17) fully know what
he or she wants to do for the rest of his or her life? I have a
hard enough time deciding what I want to wear for the day let alone
choosing my future.
Creative writing is definitely a more risky major. I definitely
face some tough times in the frightful months following my college
graduation. But on the bright side, I will not have to take three
more long semesters of various chemistries.
So why did I even do this to myself? I guess you could say
because I am a college freshman, and many of us end up changing our
major at least once. Furthermore, the fact that I decided on my
major maybe a tad too quickly could also be an explanation.
However contrary to the typical college freshman, I did not come upon
this decision because I was not succeeding in school. I have over
a 100% in my chemistry class with a nearly perfect grade in the
accompanying lab. Outside of my science courses, I have three
other A’s on my report card. Because of my teachers at Ansonia
High School, I was beyond prepared for all of my classes. So far
(knock on wood) I have not struggled academically since I came to
college. But again, why did I change my major?
To put it simply, I needed this. I needed to face one of the most
controversial decisions of my life. I needed to listen to both my
heart and brain instead of just my brain. I needed to make myself
happy.
Because going into a profession that I was hesitant towards from the
beginning did not feel right. I just pinned the uneasy feeling as
nerves and figured that I would overcome the uneasiness once I got
started in college. But now that I have experienced nearly ten
weeks of being a college girl, I came to the realization that happiness
should be the ultimate goal. Nothing should matter more than
one’s own happiness and the happiness of those around you.
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