Declaring My Major

As a second semester sophomore whose major was officially “undecided” until Tuesday, it was about time for me to fill out all the paperwork and finally declare it.

In the Columbian College, you have to have your major declared by the end of your sophomore year, and I decided to wait until now to declare it so that I can thoroughly think through the decision. I was always leaning towards what I ended up deciding, but I wanted to be sure. What did I decide, you might ask? Drum roll please………………….I am majoring in Criminal Justice and minoring in Psychology. The minor in Psychology might be upgraded later to another major (so I would be double majoring) if I can fit in all the required classes within 4 years (I might end up taking a summer class or two in order to make it work). In order to get a degree in the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences, one must complete 120 academic credits, maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.00 or better, complete a CCAS major, and complete all of the general curriculum requirements (GCRs as they are commonly called).

In order to declare my major, I had to do a few things. First, I had to complete the form, which had all the basics: things like name, address, GWid number, and then chosen major and minor. Then, on the back is a chart where I had to list a tentative course schedule for the remainder of my college career (what classes I plan on taking and when). In order to fill out this chart, it is necessary to refer to the bulletin of classes and which classes are required for each major and minor. After completing the form, it was time to get approval signatures from the head of each department. So, I ventured into the Psychology and Sociology (Criminal Justice is within the Sociology department), figured out who I required signatures from and went to their office hours and met with them to discuss my course selections. They also assigned me advisors from their departments for future meetings. The final step is to turn in the fully completed form to the Columbian College office located in Phillips/ Rome Hall where they take the hold off of my account that would prevent me from registering from classes on Friday (athletes get priority registration to accommodate practice and game times).

It feels like a big burden has been lifted off of my shoulders by declaring my major (even though I still have to decide later on if I want to/ can double major in Psychology as well).

-Christie