Cal Shin

The Major Declaration Process

When I first arrived at Dartmouth, I had absolutely no idea what I wanted to major in. The standard introductions of names, years, and majors often ended with the words "I don't know" on my part. The problem wasn't my lack of interest; in fact, quite the opposite. I had too many areas of study I wanted to pursue (six, to be exact), and majoring or minoring in them all would be unrealistic. The only way to further rearrange that lengthy list was to take classes in those departments. During my first fall, I took classes in Computer Science, Philosophy, and Latin. By the end of that term, I found that I enjoyed Philosophy quite a lot, whereas CS didn't feel like the right fit for me. Winter came around, and I took classes in Economics and Philosophy, as well as my required WRIT 5. I realized I enjoyed my Economics and Philosophy classes a lot more than anything else I had taken until that point, which made them strong contenders for my potential major. Spring term only reinforced that. I felt gutted that I didn't get into the Philosophy class I wanted and ecstatic about taking an Economics class I hadn't planned to take. In short, I felt a stronger pull towards Economics and Philosophy than anything else I had studied and was pretty sure I wanted to major in both departments. 

"Why didn't I declare my major during the winter, or even spring, of my first-year?" you may ask. The main reason is that, unlike most schools, students at Dartmouth cannot officially declare their major until their fifth term. Luckily, during the spring, my dean sent a booklet outlining the major advising and declaration process for each department, allowing me to fully prepare myself. When sophomore winter rolled around, and the Office of the Registrar sent an email stating that I was officially allowed to declare a major, I jumped right in. Having already planned the rest of my major classes, I reached out to professors and scheduled meetings in order to get their feedback. After the meeting, I submitted a major declaration request, along with the courses I was planning to take, which were then approved.  

It's official! As of now, I'm double-majoring in Economics and Philosophy.

Just because my major is officially declared doesn't mean I need to stick with that major until graduation. I know people who have officially changed their majors and minors every term, even up to their senior year! Don't think of a major declaration as a commitment but rather as something that can only benefit you. The biggest pro of officially declaring your major is that you get priority for courses in that department. There's nothing to lose and only everything to gain!