by Jennifer Johnson
The Collegian
Issue date: 3/1/07
"I changed my major, like, three or four times," says Ashley, a former GSU student now taking classes at the Clarkston campus. "I kept changing my mind and spent a lot of money trying to figure it all out. That's why I came here."
Ashley is just one of the hundreds of GPC students who are still trying to figure out the next step in their academic careers.
Thai Her, adviser in the Decatur Campus advising and counseling office, estimates that in a week, an average of eight to fourteen students will come into his office to change their majors-and these forms are also available online. "Most of those who are non-traditional students come with a major-they know where they are going," said Her.
But what if students don't know where they're going?
"If you choose a major that truly interests you and pushes you to learn, you'll gain a great set of skills that you can use in any career." Says Mike Yank, co-editor of Fishing For
A Major, who recommends students do a little soul-searching and class-shopping before narrowing it down to one major.
Her also estimates that 25-30% of the students who come in to change their majors are doing the General Studies program of study, which tends to be the major of the undeclared while they take classes to figure out what they'd like to do with their lives.
GPC is the perfect place for that. While it's true that four-year universities don't have
General Studies majors, you're not enrolled in a four-year institution, and your life does not have to be planned out immediately. Before you decide, go on and take your core classes, the classes that are covered by most (if not all) of the programs of study that GPC offers.
Choosing a major is a big decision, and though students are encouraged do that soul-searching, they are also encouraged to pick and stick to a program of study and take the classes required. Depending on the classes you take, a change of major could mean credit hours that don't help you graduate. Veasna Lewis was an education major when she first applied to GPC, then began taking classes required of nursing majors before formally changing her major to general studies. When she applied for graduation last Fall, Lewis was surprised to learn that because of her change of major, classes that she'd taken no longer count.
"Now I have to take a science or a math to cover the chemistry I already took," Lewis says, describing the lecture class that is no longer on her program of study. "For me to get
credit, I would have to take Chemistry 1611 to get credit for the Chemistry 1951 class I already took but that's not on my class list. It's the exact same class," Lewis explained.
Lewis had hoped to graduate with her associates' before having her first child last September, but ended up facing additional semesters at GPC because of this confusion.
Her advice to other students? "Do not change your major. You're just going to be taking classes for no reason, and it's not gonna count."
So does your major really determine the rest of your life?
"It's a myth that major equals a career," says Shelley O'Hara, the author of What Can You Do With A Major In English? "Your major prepares you for a career, but not just for one career." In her 2001 book, O'Hara stresses the fact that no matter what your major, you could very well end up in a career very different from the classes you took. A history major could very well go to Medical School, she reasons, as a nursing major could transfer to GSU to get a B.A. in Creative Writing.
The Sweet Life author Lynn York, who signed her new book March 1 at Chapter 11 Books at Ansley Mall, graduated with a degree in English Literature and French from
Duke University, but thought that she couldn't get a good job with a French degree so went back to school. After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with an M.B.A. and a masters in Communication, she went out into the job market and succeeded in her new field. But she wasn't really happy. So she wrote a book.
"I'm not so sure it's about major," said the author, explaining the link between her first degree and her current occupation. "For me, it's mostly about vocabulary."
If you're thinking of changing your major, visit GPC's 'What can I do with this major? 'Website (www.gpc.edu/~lawacs/majors/default.html) which has a listing of all the majors and possible jobs associated with each. Something similar is also available in your campus' Advising and Counseling office.
Whatever major you choose, be sure to double check your program advisement forms at www.gpc.edu/~acadaff/advisement/AdvisingForms.html to avoid taking any classes that don't count towards graduation.
If you have any questions about what classes you should be taking, or want to find out more about the different majors offered by Georgia Perimeter, visit your campus's Advising and Counseling Office and make an appointment to speak with an adviser before your next semester begins. The telephone numbers for each campus are:
Clarkston 678-891-3300
Decatur 678-891-2350
Dunwoody 770-274-5110
Rockdale 770-278-1240
Lawrenceville 678-407-5297
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