2008 Woodie Awards
Students go through 'major' changes
Beth Kramer
Issue date: 6/8/07 Section: News
Devan Shah, now a senior, enrolled at NMU as a freshman knowing that he wanted to enter law enforcement. On first arrival, he thought he was ahead of the students without a chosen career field.
"I chose early, but I knew exactly what I wanted to do when I got to college," Shah said.
After taking criminal justice classes for a year, Shah decided the best way to achieve his career goals was to make criminal justice his minor and pursue psychology.
"I wanted to go into criminal psychology, like profiling criminals. Psychology is what I need to do that, not just criminal justice," he said.
Shah is among the 50 percent of NMU freshman who float from major to major; only 25 percent of all Northern students graduate in the major they start in, said James Gadzinski. Director of Academic Career Advisement Center (ACAC).
Nationwide, 60 percent of all students will change their major at least once before graduating, according to MonsterTRAK.com, a Web site that helps college students locate jobs and internships.
"There are hundreds of reasons students change their majors," Gadzinski said.
Disliking a professor, disliking course work and altering career goals were the top three reasons students swapped majors at NMU he said.
However, Gadzinski believes it is necessary to question what really counts as a major change versus what he termed "an adjustment" - for example, changing from English to English writing.
Major changing is why students average five and a half years to complete a four-year degree, Gadzinski said, adding that the increase in major changing shouldn't be a focal point for NMU students.
"What we need to look at is why we have freshman declaring majors," Gadzinski said.
Some universities, such as Ohio State, do not allow freshman to declare a major. This policy has its merits, he said, because it allows students to consider their majors more carefully while letting students focus on their liberal studies.
"I chose early, but I knew exactly what I wanted to do when I got to college," Shah said.
After taking criminal justice classes for a year, Shah decided the best way to achieve his career goals was to make criminal justice his minor and pursue psychology.
"I wanted to go into criminal psychology, like profiling criminals. Psychology is what I need to do that, not just criminal justice," he said.
Shah is among the 50 percent of NMU freshman who float from major to major; only 25 percent of all Northern students graduate in the major they start in, said James Gadzinski. Director of Academic Career Advisement Center (ACAC).
Nationwide, 60 percent of all students will change their major at least once before graduating, according to MonsterTRAK.com, a Web site that helps college students locate jobs and internships.
"There are hundreds of reasons students change their majors," Gadzinski said.
Disliking a professor, disliking course work and altering career goals were the top three reasons students swapped majors at NMU he said.
However, Gadzinski believes it is necessary to question what really counts as a major change versus what he termed "an adjustment" - for example, changing from English to English writing.
Major changing is why students average five and a half years to complete a four-year degree, Gadzinski said, adding that the increase in major changing shouldn't be a focal point for NMU students.
"What we need to look at is why we have freshman declaring majors," Gadzinski said.
Some universities, such as Ohio State, do not allow freshman to declare a major. This policy has its merits, he said, because it allows students to consider their majors more carefully while letting students focus on their liberal studies.
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