Fact vs. Fiction: When Is It Acceptable to Change Your Major?

Fiction: Once you pick your major freshman year, you're stuck with it.

Fact: Not only can you change your major, but it's easy to do!

What happens if you don't like your major? Don't worry! There's no need to panic. Nazareth College provides you with a simple, and easy, way to switch majors. I started my freshman year as an English Lit major, and ended the Spring Semester as a Communication/Rhetoric major. I talked to my advisor and he provided me with the paperwork to make the transition. After researching majors in the course catalog (located on Nazareth College's homepage), and talking with a few of the career counselors in Career Services, I made the decision to switch to the Communication/Rhetoric program.

I focused on my interests, which included reading and writing, and narrowed my search from there. A lot of the program websites provide students with an in-depth look at career options, a possible program outline and even alumni profiles. Looking at the Comm./Rhet. website, accompanied with guidance from a career counselor, aided my decision making process. There was a simple form to fill out (called the "declaration/change of major/minor form) and I needed the signature of an academic advisor. That's all!

The most important thing to remember is that college allows you to tailor your educational experience. If there is a class that is not compatible with your learning style, or you don't feel as though your major fits your interests, there is a way to adapt your schedule so you get the most out of your Nazareth experience. Don't be afraid to think outside of the box!

Internships

I think experience is so much more important than what you learn in the classroom. Myself, being a nursing major, my best learning takes place in the hospital or clinical setting. I feel like sometimes we don't always get those opportunities in school because we are so focused on understanding the theory or course content that we need to know originally. I recently did a nursing internship over the summer and was fortunate enough to make it into the program and work in the hospital shadowing nurses and working with patients. I feel like I learned more through my internship than I did reading my textbook. Experience is everything and the more you do, the more you know. Not only did I learn so much from the multiple nurses I worked with, I networked with this hospital becoming an internal employee and getting my foot in the door for future job opportunities. By showing interest, doing good work, and working for a corporation you may have interest in working for after graduation, you set up opportunities that other graduates in your field may not have. This definitely sets you apart and helps you to set up job opportunities that you may not otherwise have after graduation. If you can get an internship in your field of study you should! It's a rewarding experience and it looks great on your resume!

If Only I Knew: A Step-by-Step Guide to Internships

Why should I care about this blog? Who is Meghan, and why does what she’s saying matter?

Disclaimer: I am not an expert; I don't have fancy letters after my name that give me credibility and status for what I am saying...

HOWEVER…I have recently completed my very first internship this past summer, and not to sound corny but the experiences that I received have been, and will without a doubt continue to be valuable in my hopeful career path. 

What might sound a little less rehearsed is the fact that several if not most of the aforementioned experiences did not go without many speed bumps. Thus bringing me to the purpose of this blog post: I am writing to address what I wish I knew then, now, to help anyone and everyone who is thinking about partaking in the ever-praised experience that is an Internship. I will essentially take you through (what I have found to be) a step-by-step ‘how-to’ of the internship process.

First and foremost; the resume. This is one way that I felt fully prepared, hands down…and I’m not just saying that to toot my own horn. My resume has been, and continues to be revamped by the Career Counselors at Career Services. Call me a perfectionist, I don't care, I want my best self put out there to get me interviews.

Which brings me to my next point, the dreaded interview. I have always thought of myself as someone who is good at holding conversation, but after my experiences I cannot stress how much I wish I prepared more for internships. The very first internship interview that I went to, I shall forever mark in my memory as ‘a learning experience’ and that is all. I was cocky, I admit it. I was like “I got this far, why wouldn't they hire me?”...what a fail. I was nervous, unrehearsed, had no questions and it was uncomfortable for both parties involved. So I learned from it, my second interview I went in with questions prepared and printed out  on a piece of paper; “what is the work environment like?” “What would my day-to-day tasks be” etc. Also I prepared various answers to common questions that the employer would ask .  It went so smoothly, that I walked away feeling confident and proud.

Learn from my mistakes. Prepare as much as you can. Not to sound too promotional but Career Services actually offers students the chance to rehearse their interview through Mock Interviews.  So put aside your nervousness and pride and use the resources at hand.

Another crucial part of the interview that I wish I knew was that you, as the potential intern, are interviewing the employer. Please keep in mind that you need to work there for a solid amount of time and you don't want to be miserable. Therefore you should make sure that the environment is one that you want to be in multiple hours a day, multiple days a week.  I took my internship based on the fact that it was offered to me, not on anything else, which I realize now was a big mistake.

This is not to say I regret my internship, it was great and I learned a lot. But certain aspects of it made me realize that this was not the type of work I wanted/want to do. Which is why my internship will also be marked as a learning experience.

My advice for the internship itself can be summed up rather briefly; speak up if you're unhappy/unsatisfied, whether it’s to your supervisor on site or Emily Carpenter. You would drop a class you were taking if you hated it, how is this any different? Again, no I did not hate my internship. What I wish I did was let my supervisor know that I wanted more difficult/relevant work given to me besides my weekly routines. This is your time to learn from the real world so don't waste it doing things that don't teach you anything.

And finally (my rambling has gone on long enough) do not burn any bridges.  Whether you like your internship or not, make sure you leave on good terms because you never know who your supervisors, co-workers, or really anyone you interact with knows or will know. One bad attitude can screw up your entire career path if you aren't careful. Thankfully this aspect is not spoken from personal experience but from talking to others who are currently job searching who cannot stress this enough.

All in all, I highly recommend partaking in an internship. Since employers often look for candidates with experience, an internship is a way to gain that experience before you start working and if nothing else, is something to put on the resume for future employers to (hopefully) applaud you for.