jamesford

I know that a lot of people go into college thinking they know what they want to major in. But chances are, that choice is going to change (maybe several times). What if you suddenly become interested in a subject you're not quite familiar with or are not very knowledgeable about? Would you be able to pursue that major? Say a kid who wants to be a biology major becomes interested in art history. Would he be able to pursue that? Or a kid who's a history major who becomes interested in computer science, but he has only a fundamental knowledge of computers. Could he jump right in to that subject and catch on quickly?

b@r!um

Nothing stops students from taking classes in subjects they didn't consider initially. How fast a student will be able to catch up depends on the student and subject, though. I guess you could get up to speed in art history pretty quickly, but in majors where the introductory/intermediate classes have to be taken in a certain order (mostly sciences) you would probably be behind students who started that major in their first semester for quite a while. If you change your major rather late, you might have to stay in college for a few extra semesters to fulfill all requirements.

kelseyg

The only problem with what you describe is prerequisites; it's best to try out a lot of new things you think might interest you ASAP. There are many opportunities to explore in college, but you don't want to be entering junior year unsure of your major.

mochamaven

Yeah, start dabbling in new things right off the bat...don't be afraid to "take risks"...go ahead and take intro to art history, or biological anthropology, or green chemistry!

cptofthehouse

Happens all of the time. Husband went from Political Science to Math. I saw many, many kids change from premeds or engineering to other majors. Sometimes it can work out without extra time or classes. Sometimes it does add classes and time to get the degree.