To declare or not to declare

Formerly undeclared students and first year LLC advisors discuss being undecided

Paulina Sierra | Opinion Editor | The USD Vista

Questions about a student’s major are an unavoidable reality of college life, as it has the potential to follow some students all the way to graduation day, and often beyond. However, being undecided can weigh on incoming students, especially with external pressures to declare.

At the University of San Diego, students are required to take a variety of courses under general education, called Core Requirements. These classes are meant to give the students a well-rounded education and provide students the opportunity to focus their first semesters on different areas of study. 

Evelyn Kirkley, associate professor of Theology and Religious Studies and student advisor, thought similarly. 

“The biggest resource USD offers is the Core Curriculum,” Kirkley said. “It is the buffet table that allows you to try different foods to help you find the ones you like best.”

B Carucci, a USD senior and English major with an emphasis in Creative Writing, agreed. 

“I declared for English with a Creative Writing emphasis in my second semester of sophomore year, and I decided at about the same time. Before that, I had considered Philosophy, Theology, even Math!” Carucci said. “My biggest indicator concerning my major was my general ed English classes and my professors.”

Students are then able to use their experience in these classes to try different disciplines, which is a commonly cited piece of advice given to undeclared students. Doing so will not set them back, since these classes are fulfilling requirements. For example, if the student takes one physics class, later deciding to change majors, the science class can count under their science requirement.

Additionally, the LLC program is a great way for a first-year student to figure out their interests. Each LLC class is made up of first years that share a living community, and are provided an advisor (their LLC professor) who remains their advisor until they officially declare a major. This advisor will help the student pick classes and narrow their interests, further helping them decide on a major. They are also assigned a Scholastic Advisor (SA); a student who has taken the class before and will serve as a peer advisor.

According to “The Developmental Disconnect in Choosing a Major: Why Institutions Should Prohibit Choice until Second Year,” to an academic journal written by Liz Freedman, 75 percent of students change their major before graduating. Often times this is due to external pressure from others to declare as soon as possible, especially to avoid graduating late. 

Carucci remembers having experienced pressures, from professors and students alike.

“People talked about the difficulty of graduating in four years from USD; declaring would help with that,” Carucci said. “Professors also tried to recruit me for their department when they knew I was undecided.”

Eric Hansen, a USD junior majoring in International Relations with a minor in Spanish, remembers these external pressures and their affect.

“I wasn’t worried about coming in undecided until I figured out that most people already thought they knew what they were doing,” Hansen said.

Despite the obstacles, Kirkley and Carucci both agree that coming into college undeclared is not detrimental. 

“I don’t think being undecided hindered my career,” Carucci said. “It did mean I worried more about money and job security, but it was necessary for me to try as many subjects as possible before I decided on one.”

Kirkley concurs, adding that picking a major too quickly is one of the biggest mistakes an undergraduate can make. 

“I realize there is pressure from many sources to know what you are going to do in college,” Kirkley said. “However, I think it is better to wait and find the major that really fits you.”

In addition, Kirkley believes, it is important to feel comfort in a major. 

“Ask yourself the following: ‘what course(s) do I like best?’ ‘Which ones am I excited to attend and do the reading?’ What subjects come easily to me?’” Kirkley said. “In other words, major in the area that you both like and do well in. If you do that, chances are you’ll earn higher grades, have better relationships with professors (who will be writing recommendation letters!), and enjoy your life more.”

Hansen agrees, emphasizing that it is important to let go a bit, and allow college to happen, and your interests to come to you.

“Don’t worry about it,” Hansen said. “Some class will come along, or you’ll have a conversation with a faculty member who will introduce you to something that sounds amazing. Make sure you stay aware of what your interests are and be true to those things, because majoring in something that you don’t actually like is a huge bummer, especially when you didn’t try something that you might have loved.”

The concept of narrowing one’s area of study can be difficult, and external pressures can make the fear of making a mistake even stronger, but it is important to remember that first years have unbiased resources to guide them as well as quite a bit of time to get their major sorted out.