Jasmine Murillo

Professor Batty

English 101

21 March 2019

(Rough Draft) Undecided Major

Undeclared major students may find themselves stumbled upon the question of what major

they should decide on. They’ll rely on the idea that if they continue to attend college and take a

variety of classes it’ll assist them to their final say. Although it is a suggestion to expose oneself

to different areas to see what one might pick up it can be very stressful. The time being taken to

decide on the major not only affects the students personal time it has them risk financial debt.

These inconveniences can occur to many without them even noticing until it’s too late but it

could be avoided as well as the time being shortened. Students who are undecided could consider

taking a semester break or even a gap year to sort themselves out and set a career plan along the

way.

Students who are undecided may believe that while they’re attending college they’ll end up

figuring out their major but that isn’t always the case. For some it can occur along the way but

for others it can take a little longer than originally expected. Along this journey students will

enroll to different classes keeping in mind that this will influence them on their decision but

unknowingly aware it comes with a cost. The longer a student is taking to come to their final

choice while still being enrolled to an abundance of classes is no longer beneficial. Enrolling into

a variety of classes may later cause stress and create pressure for the student to finally make up
their mind. The build up within the student has them get hesitant and start to second guess if the

major they are leaning towards is the right one for them.

An undeclared major student wants to make sure that the major they choose is one that fits and

intrigues them the most. Though going with what you would like to be passionate about is tough

as it is and it isn’t as easy as one would assume. For instance one might be fully committed to

film but isn’t sure if to major in it because of how competitive it is so one might switch to

another major. A student may go back and forth because they’re indecisiveness gets the best of

them, causing them to just overthink more than one should. They are simply just placing too

much thought on to the whole process.

Attending college of course isn’t free and it literally comes at a price and I’m not referring to

the time being spent. There are many costs that come along with it such as textbooks, classes,

parking, school materials etc. Going to a community may be a way to avoid the highly cost there

is to attend a Cal State or UC but even community has its expenses. There is financial aid that

helps assist students who aren’t financially stable, yet even then financial aid can only offer so

much. Undeclared major students may think at first that they’ll figure it out soon enough, so they

don’t apply the costs that’ll affect them in the long run. The more time in college the more

expenses there will be. With the great amount of expenses that come along with college it is

important to be on top of it, so when a student is purchasing textbooks for classes that they

might not even end up going for they are wasting not only time but money. These may lead to

the chance of facing financial debt because students may take out student loans to help pay them

through college only for them to owe more than they bargained for. Though this can impact the
student there are solutions to help avoid risking these occurrences plus shorten their attendance

in college.

Although the decision of taking a gap year or semester break may be speculative because of the

duration of not attending college, it can actually be beneficial for the long run. A student can plot

out and expand their interests during the term without bombarding themselves with classes and

school expenses. They’ll be able to organize a plan that’s well suited for them such as, class

schedules, what major they’ve concluded, and how long they plan to attend college lastly they’re

expenses. The off time from college can set the student to not only sort a career plan but serve as

a point to work and save money. By doing so it benefits them because they are preparing

themselves to be set and ready to go. They’ll have more control over what they’d like to do since

they have already set in mind on their plan without the hassle of stressing out.

Furthermore, undecided major students are capable of reducing their time in college efficiently

and deducting financial school costs. With the encouragement of themselves to seek out methods

to assist them on their decision will impact them on a positive note plus leaving an amount of the

frustration and stress that there is behind it all. By taking their personal time to reflect on who

they are and aspire to be in the future, so by taking a break from school it would be an

opportunity for one not only to figure themselves and set a plan but also a chance to reduce the

risks that come along such as the excessive time spent in classes that aren’t needed which adds

up to spending money on the wrong areas. When inconveniences occurs one might feel very

overwhelmed and not knowing what to do next so when a student is feeling under pressure on

their decision to select a major they should step back, pause and reflect and know that there is a

solution to guide them towards a direction.