What it was like changing my major from Art Education to Media Studies and Production

According to the New York Times, about 80 percent of college freshmen are unsure about their major and half will change their mind after they declare it—some more than once.

I never thought I would be part of that statistic.

When I was a kid and someone asked me, “What do you want to be when you grow up?,” I always responded with, “I want to be an art teacher.”

That question seemed so far off in the future, but when I entered high school that question became real and I was terrified. I didn’t know what I wanted to do. In my senior year, it seemed like everyone had already planned their whole life out, except for me. I thought about my college major so many times and I when I applied to colleges I looked for ones that had an art education major because that was what I told myself I would study ever since I was a kid.

At Temple I loved my classes at the Tyler School of Art. I had classes like drawing, painting, 3D, digital imaging and so much more. I truly felt that I learned so many new things and I am forever grateful for my time as a Tyler student.

However, I felt inside that I was not complete. I felt that something was missing and that I could do so much more.

That was when I began looking into other majors at Temple University. I read about every major possible and then I found one which stood out to me—Media Studies and Production.

Working in the media industry was something that I had always dreamed about, but I never had the confidence to actually pursue it. I felt that it was too risky to find a job in the media industry and that being an art teacher would be more secure.

There were so many times that I would tell myself, “Maybe this is just a phase and I’ll get over it next semester,” but I didn’t end up getting over it. I started my second semester at Temple and from the very first day I began to feel like maybe becoming an art teacher wasn’t for me after all.

I kept going back to the school website and reading about the classes MSP students were taking and I wanted that to be me, but I knew that switching my major would be a big change and I was afraid of it.

There were a lot of hints that I just wasn’t happy with my major anymore. One would be whenever a professor would say, “Let’s go around the room and introduce ourselves saying your name and major.” I didn’t have the same feeling hearing “art education” as I did on the first day. Another hint was when I heard my friends talking so passionately about their majors and I wished more than anything that I could feel the same way they did.

I began receiving emails about applying for art internships or to student teach at the local elementary schools and I started dreading the time when I would have to fill those applications out in order to get experience. I thought to myself: If I’m not looking forward to my future as an art teacher, then why would I still want to pursue that degree?

After talking to friends and family members and receiving their support, I decided to schedule an orientation with the School of Media and Communication to learn more about the majors they had to offer, including MSP. When the day came that I entered the School of Media and Communication for the very first time and I was extremely nervous.

Once the presentation was over we were told that we could submit a change of program form at that moment or at another time. I did the most brave thing I’ve ever done—I signed the papers and turned it in.

It felt like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders.

I looked forward to the start of my sophomore year when I would be taking media classes. I knew that I had to work really hard for my career in the media industry, so that summer I began writing for two websites: CelebMix and Society19. I can’t even tell you how many articles I wrote this past summer because it was definitely over two hundred. I was just so excited to write and have my voice heard by people from all over the world.

When I started school I looked for more opportunities to get experience, including writing for The Tab, Her Campus, Odyssey and Fuzzable. I also became the Social Media Coordinator for both Society19 and CelebMix, as well as, the Arts and Entertainment editor for Her Campus.

If you were to tell me that I would have applied for these leadership opportunities a year ago, I wouldn’t have believed you.

Changing my major gave me more confidence in myself to look for opportunities and gain experience. Flash forward to today, I write regularly for six websites, I have around 500 articles online, I maintain my own blog and I’ve even had the opportunity to interview a few celebrities through CelebMix. I am also transferring my art credits for an art minor and I’m thinking about adding a second minor in the future.

I can honestly say that I am at a very happy point in my life and it was all because I had the courage to hand in that change of program form.

My advice to anyone having doubts about their major is to not be afraid to take a risk because it might end up being the best decision you have ever made.

@michmendezmedia