Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 23, 1994 TAG: 9408270008
SECTION: WELCOME STUDENTS PAGE: 71 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: JESSIE HENSLEY CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Students who change their major may be viewed as indecisive, fickle, even flaky by the privileged who have remained faithful to their original major of choice.
And maybe the stalwart one-major wonders think they're superior, but actually it is they who are the freaks of higher education. Eighty percent of college students have changed their major at least once, according to Karen Torgerson, executive associate director of freshman admissions for Virginia Tech.
I, like so many others, have changed my major. Several times. Well, more than several times. Let's just say I've worn out the rug in my advisor's office.
Those of us who experience frequent overhauls of the academic kind could be mistaken for fair-weather friends, bailing out when things get sketchy. But there are many valid, and not so valid, reasons to alter one's educational path.
Don't let fear of red tape prevent you from making a move that could improve your life. Changing a major can be beneficial to your health and to your ultimate happiness.
Entering most majors is as painless as a few signatures.
Some classes you may want to take will admit majors only, due to a lack of teachers and facilities. The easiest way around this obstacle is to become, temporarily, the major of your desired class.
For this purpose I suggest the ever-practical double (a.k.a. disposable) major form. It's very simple and helps Virginia students get the most out of their budget-cut education.
Frequent major changers are more well rounded than the stoic single-major student. We know our way around campus better than anyone, because we've had classes in practically all the buildings, from the Armory to the Food Science and Technology Hall.
And we've got more to talk about at parties.
If you're still not sold on the virtues of switching majors, consider Tech's sympathetic standing on the subject. Tech has generous parameters in which the indecisive can operate.
There's the euphemism for "undecided major"... university studies. Students can wallow here in wishy-washiness until after their third year in school, when they're supposed to buckle down and settle on a "real major."
To urge students toward this goal, Tech has the stipulation that a major cannot be selected after the senior year has begun. Sometimes, for good students, some strings can be pulled, but if you have bad grades and no major, you will be S.O.L. (a Student Out of Luck).
But don't fear, my fellow procrastinators. There is always a way to avoid commitment.
For those who refuse to decide, there is Liberal Arts and Sciences, the un-major. LASC consists of three minors, two of which must be from disciplines in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Of course, some people have more legitimate reasons for choosing LASC, such as going into business or preparing for law school, but I can't pretend to have such delusions of grandeur.
When the end of my junior year rolled around and still I hadn't decided, I just threw all my credits in a bucket and out poured three minors. I'm majoring in Leftovers.
My methods may seem flagrantly irreverent, but my hesitance reveals my true respect for this important decision.
And my reluctance to leave a school where I know the campus better than anyone.
Jessie Hensley, a Virginia Tech student from Maryland, should receive her degree in leftovers in May.
by CNB