Should You Change Your Major?
All college students have moments when they doubt their choice of college major. This may happen in the middle of the night as you're desperately trying to complete a project, or when you're trying in vain not to fall asleep in that painfully dull required class. For most students, these moments of trepidation are outweighed by the positive benefits of choosing your major.几乎每个大学生都有过转专业的想法。也许那时候正在某个深夜绝望的赶制即将逾期的项目，也许是在一门无聊的必修课上怎么也睡不着。多数学生会接受这种情况下的困乏，仍然坚持自己的专业能够带来比积极的收益。
But what if they're not? What if you've come to the conclusion that when you chose this major, you made a serious mistake? Should you change your college major? Here are some important factors to consider before making this decision.
但如果事实不是这样呢？如果你有天发现当初选择这个专业就是个错误该怎么办？要转专业吗？做决定之前，我们先好好考虑一下这些问题。
Graduating on Time
· 能否按时毕业
One of the biggest problems with changing your major is that it may make it difficult for you to graduate in four years. Sticking around for another semester (or two, or three) can be an expensive and time consuming option.
比较大的问题就是，转专业后你有可能不能在4年的时间正常毕业。并且需要为增加的一个或几个学期负担更多的学费和时间。
Therefore, if you're thinking about changing your major, sit down with an academic advisor and figure out exactly how much extra time it will take for you to graduate if you change your major. It may be that the change of major won't effect your graduation time at all. Or it may be that you can graduate on time if you take a few summer classes or a heavy courseload for a few semesters. However, if the change in major is going to add extra semesters or years onto your college career, think carefully about whether this is worth it to you.
所以，如果你正在考虑换专业，你需要找一位学术顾问坐下来好好谈谈，估计下要为转专业付出多少额外的时间。有时候你不需要额外的时间，只要上一下暑期班或者稍微将课程进度压紧凑一下就好。不过如果转专业真的需要你再付出额外的几个学期甚至学年，那你就需要认真考虑一下，到底值得不值得这么做。
Ability to Get Classes
有些部门的课程十分难进。也许是课程太受欢迎，或者是那个部门的课堂容量本来就很小。如果真的很难进，你也要考虑一下这样值不值得你所要付出的时间和精力。
Some departments make it awfully difficult to get the classes you need to graduate. This may be because the department is extremely popular, or perhaps because a department is very small and does not offer required courses often enough. If it's very difficult to get into the classes you need to graduate, consider seriously whether the major is worth the time and aggravation.
· 自己的才能
Your Skills and Talents
假如现在学的是物理学。而不幸的是，你的积分学的很烂，而且下学期的课本对你来说跟无字天书没区别。
So you're majoring in physics. Unfortunately, you're terrible at calculus, and your upper level textbooks make so little sense that they may as well be written in hieroglyphics. Or you're a music major, and you're okay at it, but you realize that compared to some of your classmates, you're not talented enough to have a successful career in music.
或者你在上音乐专业，学的还好，但是跟班里其他同学比起来，你的前途就不是那么光明了。
There's nothing wrong with realizing that your major doesn't suit your skills and talents. In fact, the ability to make such a realization is a sign of maturity. The trick is to find a major that does suit you better. To avoid making another mistake, spend time doing some research on other majors. Stop by the campus academic center to read up on other choices, and meet with an academic advisor.
意识到这些很正常。事实上这也是自己成熟的一个标志。所以你需要找到一个更适合自己的专业。为了避免再犯同样的错误，多花点时间看看其他专业。到学校的学术中心看看其他的选择，然后找一位学术顾问咨询一下。
A word of caution, though: before bailing out, give yourself a chance. Don't decide that you're a lousy physics major after one D on a midterm. Instead, put some good solid effort in your physics classes that semester whether you do better-- or whether you truly are are a lousy physics major.
还有一件事需要注意，在决定之前，给自己一个机会。不要因为一次期中考试没考好就认为自己是个糟糕透顶不适合学物理。真真正正的努把力，试一下，看看自己能不能进步，或者确定一下自己是不是真的选错了专业。
Your Career Potential
· 职业潜力
You're majoring in elementary education. However, you've recently decided that what you really want is to go into advertising. Or you're a theater major, but you're not sure if there are enough career options in your field.
你现在的专业是初等教育。而你最近发现自己真正想去的其实是广告或歌剧专业，但是你又担心这些专业是否有足够的就业出路。
Before changing your major to increase your career potential, do some research by talking to professors and professionals. Find out if your major actually is incompatible with your career goals. In the working world, majors don't always matter as much as you think. Instead of changing your major, you might just need to get some internships in your field of interest. Furthermore, for some career paths, you'll need a graduate degree, in which case you might be able to keep your current major and get more professional training in graduate school.
在你改变专业，职业深造之前。跟教授或其他专业人事聊一聊。研究一下你的专业是不是与你的职业目标不符。在真实的工作环境中，你的专业并没有你想象的那么重要。比起转专业，你需要的也许是在你感兴趣的领域的一些实习经历。更进一步，对于某些需要硕士学位的工作来说，你可以先保持自己目前的专业，然后再通过硕士教育来获得更专业的训练。
Quality of Major
· 专业的质量
Majors at all schools are not alike. Perhaps you're a history major, but all your classes are taught by TAs and the quality of education is terrible. If this is the case, then perhaps you'd be better off with a major that's stronger on your particular campus.
不同学校的专业也不一样。也许你在学的是历史专业，但你的任课老师都是助教，并且教学质量非常糟。如果真的是这样，你最好选择一个学校比较有优势的那个专业。
Similarly, there may be an outstanding department on campus that peaks your interest. Perhaps your school has an exceptional communication department with great teaching and topics that appeal to you quite a bit. This might be the place for you.
同样，也许你会对学校里某个优势部门感兴趣。比如学校交流部门的教学质量很高，所以那里也许是你该去的地方。
Again, though, do your research by talking to professors and other students about the quality of a department. All departments have their strengths and weaknesses, so don't rush to conclusions.
多找一些教授和学生聊聊那个部门质量。每个部门都有自己的优势和劣势，不要急于冲动。
Likes and Dislikes
· 爱与不爱
Have you come to truly detest your major? If so, seriously consider changing it. You're not going to get much out of your education if you're miserable. Alternately, it's common for students to develop new interests after they come to college, so you may discover a major you love. if so, this may be the direction for you.
你真的不喜欢自己的专业吗？那就认真的考虑换掉吧。如果你总是这么扭着你不会学到什么有用的东西。相反，学生进入到大学后通常都会培养出新的兴趣，如果你真的发现了自己所爱的专业，那就去追求吧。
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