Biology to Elementary Education?

ashleydh
Wed, 02 Nov 2016 18:53:23 +0000

Advice for switching majors?

When I was in high school, I didn’t really know what I wanted to major in. I wasn’t in love with one particular subject, but I decided on biology since I seemed to like science a little more than every other subject. I thought I would like to be a optometrist since they are paid well, have good hours, and specialize in helping others. At first things were going fine in my major classes, but I hated the school I was at and had to transfer my sophomore year.

At my new school I was on the pre-med track to graduate a semester late. Things were fine again for a while until the summer before my junior year when I began to shadow optometrists and other doctors. I found that their days looked very routine and and boring, and they told me many stories about how they were still in debt, had to spend several years in medical school, etc. That turned me off immediately. I also found that I was not at all motivated to participate in summer research internships, despite the encouragement from my advisors.

Now it’s my junior year and I’m really starting to dislike my major. I’m in organic chemistry and physics, which I absolutely hate, and microbiology (which isn’t all that interesting). After some pondering and taking aptitude tests I thought about what else I might like to do, and a particular career struck me. I decided that I really might like to be a teacher, more specifically an elementary school teacher (crazy, I know).

I don’t know why it never really dawned on me before, but I think I would like to be an elementary teacher for many reasons. I like children (and they seem to like me), I am very good in several subjects (writing, math, music, Spanish, science, etc), I am a child at heart and still get enjoyment from playing games that I played as a kid, and I enjoy teaching other people and sharing my knowledge with them. Plus, teachers get weekends, holidays, and summers off. That’s a huge plus!

I decided that even though doctors make a lot more money, I cannot see myself doing it for the rest of my life. Plus, I quite frankly dislike college and can’t wait to graduate. This is the unhappiest I’ve been all my life, so I can’t wait to get out into the working world and begin a career I love, despite how much money I make. I decided to switch to the general biology track so that I can now graduate on time, but I’m torn about switching my major. Even though I have a good GPA in biology, the courses required for the elementary education major sound much more interesting. However, I would hate to throw away 2 and a half years of hard work in biology courses and basically start over. It would probably take at least 3 extra years, and like I said I am a junior now, so my undergraduate career could take upwards of 6 years!

There is a master’s program in my area that allows you to gain your master’s in elementary education in 18 months, and it’s designed specifically for students who have a bachelor’s in an area other than education. This sounds ideal, but I can’t help but worry about having to finish such a difficult major (I will eventually have to take more organic chemistry and biochemistry) for a much simpler master’s degree. Should I go ahead and finish my biology major (I also have a Spanish minor) and then enroll in the 18 month master program? Will it help me to stand out? Or should I seriously consider switching my major? Thanks.