Alright folks, today I wanna talk about picking a major at Southern Methodist University. Not some glossy brochure nonsense, just me muddling through it like anyone else. Felt totally lost when I started, had zero clue where my brain or future was headed. So here’s exactly what my dumb self did.
Throwing Spaghetti at the Wall
First off, I downloaded the list of every single major SMU offered. Big mistake. Felt like staring at a menu with a thousand items when you just want fries. Overwhelmed ain’t even close. So I grabbed a giant coffee (the cheap kind, campus coffee ain’t great), spread the papers on my kitchen table, and started crossing things off. Anything with “advanced quantum” or “theoretical” – gone. Stuff that sounded boring as heck? Axed. Like, “Statistical Analysis Methodology”? Nope. This got me to maybe 20 possibilities.
Playing Detective (The Annoying Kind)
Next, I became that person. I pestered everyone. Seriously. Hung around the common areas near departments I thought might be cool. When students came out looking tired, I’d go “Hey, quick question! What’s your major actually like? Be honest!” Got some real gems:
- “Intro to PoliSci? That class is basically Netflix: Government Edition.”
- “Bio labs smell like formaldehyde forever, fair warning.”
- “Business core? Pray you like group projects with slackers.”
Messaged seniors on SMU groups too. Half ignored me, bless the ones who didn’t.
Crashing Lectures Like a Pro
SMU mostly lets you sit in on stuff, especially intro classes. So I became a lecture crasher. Woke up stupid early one Tuesday for an 8 AM Economics 101. Regret level: high. Professor droned on about supply curves for an hour. I stared out the window questioning all my life choices. Swore off econ right there. Later that week, tried a Communications intro. Folks were arguing about memes being social commentary. Okay, way more my speed. Did this a bunch. Felt kinda awkward just sitting there, but nobody really cared.
Advisor Talk – The Necessary Evil
Finally dragged myself to see an advisor. Honestly? Almost canceled twice. My guy was nice enough, had that tired-but-patient advisor look. He saw my messy list and just nodded. “You gotta think about what makes time disappear for you,” he said. Not just what you’re kinda good at. And what kinda job wouldn’t make you wanna scream on Mondays? We looked at class requirements – no point picking something where you gotta survive three years of calculus if numbers make you sweat. He pushed me hard on “minors” and “tracks” too. Like, a business major focusing on Arts Management? Huh. Didn’t know that existed.
The “Aha?” Moment (More Like “Eh, Okay”)
After all that? No lightning bolt. Just realized I kept circling back to Media-related stuff. The comm lecture was fun. The students I bugged talked about making actual things. Saw a flyer for SMU TV near the student center. Felt less like work. Admittedly, I pictured telling my aunt “I study Communications” and her asking “What? Like phones?” Still annoying. But advisor guy showed me courses like Digital Media Strategies and Intro to Filmmaking. Sounded way cooler than staring at spreadsheets all day. So yeah, declared Comm. Feels like a fit… for now. Might still panic later.
My Rough Guide (Learned the Hard Way)
So, based on my epic journey through confusion:
- Ditch the list first. Weed out the obvious “heck no” stuff. Way less scary.
- Ambush real students. They won’t sugarcoat the crap parts.
- Sit. In. Classes. Especially the core requirements. A boring lecturer can ruin any subject.
- Ask the advisor the stupid questions. That’s why they get paid. Grill ’em on job stuff.
- Listen to the feeling, not just the brain. If a subject makes you groan thinking about the homework? Bad sign.
- Chill! Switching majors happens. It’s not life-or-death on Day 1.
Was it a perfect process? Nope. Still kinda winging it. But hope my mess helps someone else figure out their path! Good luck, you’ll need it.
