I came into college thinking I was going to end up becoming a psychiatrist. I was a psychology major who was excited to learn about people and the way we think.

What I didn’t take into consideration is that psychology is a science, and I am most definitely not a science type of girl.

Needless to say, I ended up switching to a different major at the end of my freshman year after being beaten down by all of the science and statistics fighting for space in my brain.

I felt like a failure because I wasted a year of college learning about things I ended up hating.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, about 80% of college students switch their major at least once throughout their education.

It makes sense if you think about it. How could you possibly have your whole life planned out at 18 years old?

I think it’s ridiculous when adults ask you in high school what you’re going to college for or what you want to do for the rest of your life. I barely knew what I was eating for dinner that day; how was I supposed to have something like that figured out?

I think so many college students switch majors at some point because they get here and get a real sense of what adult life is like.

There’s no parents, curfew or rules, but there are so many responsibilities that you have to hold yourself accountable for. You have to wake up and go to class every day, spend hours getting homework done, go to work so you have money to spend on rent or food and find time to spend with your friends or significant other.

It’s a lot, and it’s stressful.

If you’re dealing with all of that on top of classes you despise for a major you thought you would love, you’ll never have the motivation to get everything done because it will mentally exhaust you.

That’s what happened to me. I got so burnt out that I lost all the excitement I once had for psychology.

I think it’s better for students in the long run to switch majors or to just take classes that seem out of the ordinary. It’s good to experience a variety of ideas and learn about things outside of your typical interests to explore what other careers and opportunities are out there for you that you might like better than what you’re doing in the moment.

So if you’re thinking of changing majors or already have, you shouldn’t feel like a failure like I did. Some things just don’t work out, and that’s okay.

The only constant in this life is change, and change is good.