Students
Students
What's It Like Switching Majors at JWU?
My Experience Switching My Major at JWU
Sometimes, declaring a major can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Even then, in you find yourself interested in changing your major, you’ll find support and guidance at JWU. This is the situation I found myself in during the fall of my first year at JWU. I’ve wanted to own a bakery for as long as I can remember. So, it was no surprise that I ended up in JWU’s Baking & Pastry Arts program. This started with Foundations of Baking and Pastry, where we made everything: macarons, galettes, crème anglaise and too many other treats to list. I ironed my chef’s whites everyday like it was my religion and read my baking textbook like it was my bible. I worked my way through the first semester, which included the first four classes of this program, and I adored it. My cohort and I became a team, working together to accomplish all our daily tasks. It was an indescribably cool experience.
But the more time I spent in the program, the more I realized that I didn’t want to bake for a living — I wanted to write about baking. As much as I love everything that comes with working in the food-service industry — as tough as it can be — I knew what I truly wanted to do was work in food media. But I felt established at JWU by that point and didn’t want to leave Providence. Luckily for me, JWU’s vast catalogue of programs of study and ability to maximize credits allowed me to seamlessly switch to a major that fit what I wanted: Media & Communication.
What The Process Was Like For Me
The first step toward switching my program was to contact my academic advisor, Alison Krzyzek ’09. She was incredibly helpful by counseling me on the best course of action. I caught up with Krzyzek and a couple other academic advisors recently and we talked about the process of changing majors at JWU. Gary Rabinowitz is an academic advisor for JWU Online, and he says that switching majors at JWU is a “seamless, easy process, as long as the student knows and understands what they’re looking for.” Though specific situations differ from student to student, the process is the same for students across the university. Martin Lovelace, an academic advisor for JWU’s Charlotte campus, reveals, “Students can change their major several times to make sure that they are in the program that they want to be in. Within my population of advisees, I probably help 20-25 students per semester make a major change.”
According to Krzyzek, Lovelace and Rabinowitz, talking with a student’s academic advisor is crucial in this situation so the student knows where previously completed credits will fall and what the new major will entail. In fact, before talking to Krzyzek, I was not aware of the Media & Communication program. At the time, this seemed like a scary decision to make. I felt like I was betraying my childhood dream. Little did I know, I was opening opportunities I likely would never have had access to.
Once I had made my final decision to switch, it was only a matter of days before it became official. Krzyzek also says that, generally, “Where you are in your current program will determine the impact on additional time at the university.” While no program at JWU is technically impossible to change to or from, she urges students to talk to their academic advisor as soon as they think they may potentially want to switch. This will make things easier in terms of preserving as many credits as possible and staying on track to graduate.
Rabinowitz notes one potential complication: “Where you run into an issue if is it’s a little later, and a student has used up all of their free electives.” Students in all undergraduate programs are required to take free electives, which makes changing majors a generally smooth process, as hyper-specific courses that may have gone unused otherwise can be applied here. Personally, I was able to use every credit I had — even the baking labs that would likely not have been accepted at other universities. Looking back more than two years later, I think this was one of my wisest decisions. And I’m not the only student at JWU with a similar story.
Cecilia’s Experience
Cecilia DiAngi ’26 started at JWU as a Fashion Merchandising & Retailing student. Although she was interested in learning about the business of fashion, she ultimately wanted to work for a fashion publication. After taking a writing class during her study abroad in Italy, Cecilia decided it was time to make the change. Although it was already her sophomore year, it was not too late for her to switch. In fact, just like me, Cecilia was able to use all of the credits she had already worked hard to obtain. “Applying those credits took a little bit longer, just to get that stamp of approval, but it all went through,” she says. “I lost no money; I lost no time.”
Not only did she change her major to Media & Communication, but she also added not one, but two minors: Marketing and Advertising. She says that at the time of her switch, she was also scared. She wanted to stick to what she had started, but says, “I knew in my head I always wanted to be in that journalism world.” Looking back, Cecilia could not be happier with her decision. By this point in her JWU journey, she had already established herself, finding a close group of friends and working various jobs on campus. Having the opportunity to hold onto the time she had already put in and stay a part of the community she loved, while being able to get a degree much more suited to her long-term career aspirations, is something Cecilia says she’s eternally grateful for.
Andrew’s Experience
For students like Andrew Peet ’27, deciding to switch majors instead of universities came down to how invested he had become in the JWU community. He realized that the Biomedical Engineering major he had started was not going to suit his future career plans. As much as he loved it, the specific nature of it made the degree challenging to apply to future career options outside of the field. But he couldn’t see himself leaving, as he had numerous scholarships from JWU and was incredibly involved on campus. Not only is Andrew a resident assistant for Xavier Hall, but he is also a student assistant at the Bridge and is involved in numerous extracurriculars, including JWU’s Running Club as well as student government. Now, Andrew is majoring in Biology with a specialization in Biomedical Science.
While not everyone will have the same experience as Andrew, he said that changing his degree allowed him to have academic experiences he likely would not have had otherwise. For instance: “Because I switched majors, I was able to do an internship very early on.” This allowed him to make connections with older students and professors he may not have met, which is something he continues to value deeply. By getting this experience, Andrew knew he had made the right decision in switching majors. He continues to be involved on campus, seeing his many friends and beloved professors all while going down a path of study more suited to his needs. In advising other students thinking of switching, Andrew says, “If it makes you happy, I think it’s worth it, especially at JWU. JWU gives us the opportunity to not have to worry, so you should take command of it and run with it.”
Opportunities for Everyone
Situations differ depending on the student, as some programs of study may require specific courses, meaning a student may need to complete additional time. However, JWU’s diverse course offerings allow students the flexibility to change their academic plans, if they desire. From Graphic Design to Criminal Justice, JWU’s catalog offers ample opportunities to pivot. Not every student will have this experience, as some people love their declared major from the moment they start. But this is not the case for all students, and knowing that there are a multitude of other academic programs one can switch to while still preserving most of their earned credits is reassuring.
Before I came to JWU, I was certain I wanted to work in the baking industry, and deciding to change from that program to a new one could have made me feel as if I had wasted time and money. But because JWU has such diverse program offerings and works to maximize credits, I am now on the track to a career I feel much more inclined toward, am not wasting any money and will still graduate when I had planned. As Rabinowitz says, “If you feel you are not getting something out of your current program, it is super easy to switch. We provide you with all the information you need to make comparisons and see if this makes more sense based on what you’re interested in and what your future goals are.”
