Running Head: Reflection 5

Reflection 5
Sarah Joy P. Sy
California State University, Sacramento

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Reflection #5

Throughout most of my life, I was always told to go to college for a higher education.
Specifically, I was told to go into a major wherein I would make a stable career out of my
degree. It eventually altered my mindset in that college was a place where one could learn the
trade for their career. However, as I wanted to choose a major different than what my parents had
wanted me to choose, I felt that I created a rift in our relationship. You could imagine the guilt
and disappointment I had felt about myself when that supposed rift form. I blamed myself and I
thought that doing what I wanted would not bring me success.
Fortunately, I had read James Tunstead Burtchaells article, Major
Decisions (Burtchaell, 1987), and found that I shouldnt actually be guilty nor disappointed in
choosing the major I wanted to pursue. In fact, Burtchaell encourages that students should
choose their majors based on what interests they discover through self-development. He insists
that in order to select a major program wisely, you have to figure out what you
want. (Burtchaell, 1987). Picking a major should not have to feel like a concrete decision that
will decide your career and essentially your success in life. It also should not have to be
influenced by what people expect of you, but rather what you expect from yourself. He also
explains that most of the time, the major you pick would have little to do with what you will end
up doing in the future and that the best a student can do is try everything before choosing a major
right away.
What I realized after reading his article was that whatever I choose for my major should
never have guilt nor any negative feelings attached to it. I should feel that I had picked the major
based on what I want to learn for self-knowledge and development. I also feel that a significant

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amount of pressure has been lifted off my chest as I now feel that my major does not directly
correlate with my success in life. I no longer feel that declaring a major limits my opportunities,
but vastly expands my reaches. The most fulfilling revelation I had was that I have the freedom
to choose what I wanted to learn. Opportunity is within reach, and it is up to me to take
possession of it.

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References

Burtchaell, J.T. (1986-7). Major decisions. Notre Dame Magazine.