For many college students, choosing a major feels like one of the most important decisions of their lives. But at Iowa State University, switching majors is not only common, but a healthy part of the college experience, according to Tessa Brow, assistant director of Career Services for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
“Change is very normal, and I think that’s a good thing because students are always growing and evolving,” Brow said. “If they’re going to refine their academic pathway to better match up with them as an evolving person, that’s a good thing in my mind.”
Brow expressed that students typically approach career decisions in two ways: some focus on what they want to study in college, while others prioritize where they want to end up after graduation.
Regardless of the approach, Brow emphasized that students should remember one key point.
“Major does not equal career,” Brow said. “Plenty of professionals work in a career that’s something different than what they studied.”
That flexibility is reflected in the numbers. According to Mike Krapfl, communications specialist for Iowa State, 53% of students change their major at least once during their undergraduate career, and 18% change their major twice or more.
“Students may change majors for a variety of reasons,” Krapfl said. “Most often, the student discovers a passion for a major they may not have considered before arriving on campus. Academics may also play a role in some cases.”
Career Services helps students navigate those decisions by collecting career outcome data from graduating seniors and alumni, giving current students insight into paths pursued by their peers. Students also have access to tools like YouScience, a 90-minute aptitude and interest assessment and resources such as What Can I Do With This Major? and webpages linking majors to careers.
Beyond online tools, Brow encourages students to meet with their academic and career advisor. Academic advisors can help students through program requirements, while career advisors help them reflect on long-term goals and connect those goals to possible career paths.
“Really, reading course descriptions and seeing what’s required, then tailoring a major to be uniquely you, is an important part of the process,” Brow said. “But I also know that can be overwhelming, and that’s why advisors can really help.”
For students who are undecided from the start of their college experience, Iowa State offers the Open Option program in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Erin Valerio-Garsow, assistant director of academic advising in LAS, expressed that the program gives students the space to explore without pressure.
“Open Option is an opportunity for students who are ready to be here at Iowa State but are not sure what they want to specialize in,” Valerio-Garsow said. “We generally have a fairly large group of first-year students in the fall who are part of the HOME Learning Community, and we use our class time to connect students to both majors and each other.”
About 10% of incoming LAS students begin in Open Option each fall, expressed by Valerio-Garsow. Many students use that time to explore different paths while building connections with peers.
Emma Peters, a senior majoring in philosophy, said the experience ultimately gave her confidence in their choice. Now, she encourages other students to approach the process with the same mindset.
“My first semester at Iowa State, I was an Open Option student,” Peters said. “There were so many majors that seemed super interesting to me, so it did take some time to decide what I truly wanted to declare as. I talked to some advisors and did some research on my own about several different majors.”
