Dilemmas of deciding on a major may prove to be a difficult task for the average student, and changing a major can interfere with graduating within four years.

Malley Chapman, senior in marketing and art and design, has changed her major five times since she began her freshman year.

She is now expecting to graduate in May 2012.

“I didn’t know what I wanted to do, so I just tried a whole bunch of majors that sounded interesting,” Chapman said. “When I didn’t end up liking my major, the career counseling helped me to realize my interests and career desires.”

The pressures to graduate on time have swayed students’ decisions to change majors and settle for something less desirable.

Amy Selvik, junior in mechanical engineering, has changed her major two times since her freshman year.

“I felt that, for me, there were more suitable options for careers in mechanical engineering rather than my previous major in the College of Design,” Selvik said.

Credit transferability can serve as an additional obstacle for students looking to change their major, but advisors set up a generally straightforward system for students, making the transition easier. Selvik said all of her credits transferred between the Colleges of Design and Engineering.

“I never opted to avoid changing my major because I didn’t want to extend my graduation date,” Selvik said. “Ultimately, an extra semester or two in order to complete my major and graduate is nothing with respect to the time I will spend working in my future career.”

Iowa State’s Career Exploration Services assists students with career counseling, techniques and tests to help students declare a major.

Mark Becker, director of Career Exploration Services, said within the last three years the center gave 1,800 hours of career counseling to around 500 students, and the numbers increase each year.

“Career Services meets students’ needs by giving them the chance to come in and sit down one-on-one with trained career counselors to decide the correct path for them,” Becker said. “Career counseling provides a flexible environment to meet the students’ needs and focus on their interests and values to individualize their experience and help them to work through skills they enjoy.”

Students often face emotional struggles to declare a permanent major.

“Students may feel stressed, pressured to find a major, either by themselves, parents or others,” Becker said. “We see students who feel depressed, anxious or hopeless in their decision.”

On the office’s Web site, students can research available resources. KUDER, a computerized guidance system, is a program accessible through Parks Library computers that can help students learn more about themselves. KUDER assesses a student’s interests, experiences and values to choose a possible major.

“I have opted to not change my major because I wanted to graduate in four years,” Chapman said. “That’s why it took me so long to find out what I wanted to do, but as long as I love what I’m doing, who cares how long it takes me to graduate?”