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The Daily Tar Heel
Pit Talk

I declared my major and it was horrible

I arrived on this campus a few months ago underneath the hot August sun. Before and after my arrival, every adult I encountered felt it was their duty to convey the same basic message: “You’ve got the world at your feet.”

As a first year who had not yet decided on a major, I took a bright-eyed, bushy-tailed approach to everything that came my way.

I took a dramatic arts class, a journalism class, an economics class and a Spanish class. I had no limits and no direction. Trying to decide on a major is a process that makes you feel liberated and totally lost at the same time. It’s great.

As I wandered through the first few months of my time at UNC, the aimless feelings that I started off the year with began to fade as feelings of passion and curiosity replaced them.

A few weeks ago, I scheduled an appointment with Academic Advising. I was confident that I had decided on a conjunction of majors that would allow me to make the most of my time here. Making that decision was a relieving experience. I had figured it out. All I had left to do was take the classes and get the diploma.

On the day of my appointment, I walked into Academic Advising and declared my major.

It was terrible.

My advisor clicked buttons and submitted a form, filing me underneath certain labels and assigning me to their corresponding departments.

As I left with my paperwork, I said my thank you's and received “Good luck with everything! You’ve got the world at your feet!” in response. 

It is comforting to know that I have a plan and a relatively structured path ahead of me for the next three years. This comfort, however, compromises much of the excitement that comes along with having the word “Undeclared” next to your name in Connect Carolina.  

This is all very dramatic, I know. Everybody declares a major. Everybody labels themselves.

Regardless, I wanted to shout about it. I am upset by the new structure that I have in my life. Someone please return me to the world of aimlessness from which I came.

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