MAJOR MISTAKE: Students weigh the costs of changing degrees

Samantha Samuel
The Signal
Students no longer have the luxury of experimenting with their college education because of the excessive hours ruling.

Since UHCL is a public university, it receives assisted funding from the state. Student-paid tuition and fees only cover a portion of the cost of instruction with the state supplementing the rest. In 2006, the state ruled that students may not exceed their degree plan by more than 30 hours. Anything more than 30 hours is considered excessive and the state will no longer supplement the costs of that student’s education. At UHCL this means a tuition recovery rate of $130 per semester credit hour in excess of the credit hour limit. Students who exceed this limit will be placed under mandatory advising.

So what happens to a college student in the wrong degree program? The majority of undergraduate students struggle when it comes to choosing the career path that is right for them. The American College Testing (ACT) states 65-85 percent of students will change their major at least once.

The decision of switching majors or getting a degree in a major that no longer holds an interest is even more difficult for students who have the majority of their degree program completed.  These students have invested a lot of time and money before realizing they are on the wrong path. Students in this situation have an important decision to make: stay on the path they are on and get the no-longer-desired degree, or travel down the path that is better suited for them, which can mean starting practically from scratch.

The correct answer is not the same for everyone since each student is as unique as his or her reason(s) for choosing and switching majors.

“A student in this situation should certainly look at all angles,” said Ann Hinojosa, advising coordinator in the School of Human Sciences and Humanities at UHCL.

If a student is far along in his or her degree program, then Hinojosa recommends that he or she go to the Career and Counseling Center for advice and meet with an academic adviser.

“Now if the student has only two courses left, then absolutely, graduate and then come on back,” Hinojosa said. “If a student has two semesters to go, then let’s take a look at what you really want to do as opposed to where this degree will take you.”

There are several reasons that drive a student to change majors. Hinojosa states that the cost of education makes it difficult on both students and their parents. She points out there used to be a time when students had time to grow up before making such an important decision.

Several factors should influence students’ decisions when it comes to choosing a major, for example weighing their general interests against earning potential of a specific career.

“Finding a career path that is enjoyable and rewarding, that fits one’s values, interests and skills is an important process for college students,” said Cynthia Cook, associate director for counseling in the Career and Counseling Center at UHCL. “There might not be just one ‘right path’ for students, but it is important that they find a path that feels like a good fit for them in terms of the work they would eventually like to do.”

Lisa Vavricka, a student at the University of Notre Dame double majoring in political science and psychology, made the decision to go in a different direction than the path her degree program was taking her.

“It was more than just a general dissatisfaction and decreasing interest in my two majors combined with an increasing interest in planning events and working on the promotions, public relations and marketing side of things,” Vavricka said. “From there it just kind of snowballed. I started gaining more work experience in the field and became increasingly passionate and excited by it. It finally got to the point that I would rather be at work than in my classes, and I guess that’s when I realized I had found my ‘true calling.’”

Researching potential degree programs before enrolling can be beneficial for students. Dominic Chavez, spokesman for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board, said the first thing students should do is to talk with their adviser to get all the necessary information about degree plan options.

“Students need to understand the jobs available and the pay scale of the major they are interested in before signing up,” Chavez said. “What type of career path you want should drive your choice of major. Discovering yourself can get very, very costly.”