Having gone through this myself as a Graphic Design major, class of 1998, I can say:
- Cry, then panic.
- Talk to the chair of the department about what they recommend. In my case, he suggested an adjacent major of Art Production, but because I was sort of on the bubble, he agreed to let me continue in Graphic Design on a probationary basis for one more semester. If I didn’t cut it, I was out. I kicked into high gear and finished senior year with an award for Best Student Portfolio from AIGA Seattle (local chapter of national graphic arts professional organization). Phew.
- If I had not made it past that probation I would have continued in an adjacent major. But if that wasn’t a good option for me I may have considered transferring.
The hard part is knowing whether one should continue in an area they aren’t strong in, or if they should take time off to figure out what suits their skills better. I guess it would depend on the cost of the school and what other strengths the student has. My D22 is going to major in CS, and VT’s secondary admission process was one reason she turned them down. If by the end of her sophomore year it’s clear that CS is not the right path for her, we’ve told her we support her changing majors of course, but we may need to consider a transfer because an OOS B1G price tag may not make financial sense if her new career goal doesn’t pay as well.