5 Benefits Of Being An Open Options Major At KSU

Through the use of majors, colleges prepare you to enter the job market understanding the qualifications, skill sets, and knowledge you will need to have in order to succeed at your dream job. However, there are those of you who have no idea what your future career will be, and therefore feel like you have nothing to major in. So you enter K-State-or any other university-as undecided (ie having no specific major). Fortunately, you can choose to become an open options major at KSU.

In choosing to enter college as an open options student, you may have certain feelings that include but are not limited to anxiety, uncertainty, dread, angst, doubt, etc. I was an open options major at KSU and I did feel all those things, and more, during my freshman year of college. But I can’t say I regret starting my college career in the open options major at KSU because of the five reasons I will be talking about below. Read on for five benefits of being an open options major at KSU!

1. Your options are literally open.

The world is your oyster as the old cliché goes. But, like it says in the title, your options are quite literally open as an open options major. You can take the time to figure out what you want to do with the rest of your life through taking a bunch of different classes, talking to KSU staff, students, and alumni, and by thinking about what career path will make you the happiest as you progress on the journey we call life. If you think about it, open options students are the freest amongst the K-State student population because they have no specific graduation requirements or timeline holding them down. It’s up to you, Pikachu, to catch that major! (In honor of the blessing and curse that is Pokemon Go).

2. You can explore the different majors your university has to offer.

K-State has too many majors to name, but that’s a good thing for open options students. It means there are tons of introductory classes you can try out in the struggle to find what major fits you and your ambitions. Freshman year was a time of taking classes I never imagined I would take, and seeing what I was interested in and what I wasn’t (yes to English and a resounding NO to philosophy). Through this preliminary process of elimination, I quickly realized what I did and did not want to spend my time focusing on in terms of classes. It helped immensely in picking my second semester schedule, and, later, my major.

3. The open option academic advisors are on point.

I don’t know about other universities, but the academic advisors within the open options program at K-State know their stuff. It is literally their job to know about each and every major, help you pick out introductory classes you might be interested in while still meeting graduation requirements, and helping you make it to graduation on time. Use these assets as an open options student, and you won’t regret it.

4. There is no need to switch majors; you just have to declare one once you decide!

Guess what? Since you don’t technically have a major as an open options student, you can easily declare one once you’ve decided what it is your heart yearns to do. In most cases, you will go to the college of your choosing within K-State’s campus and sign up to be a student of that college. Easy peezy, lemon squeezy! Nothing in college will ever be this easy. (Trust me).

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5. Self-doubts are yours to conquer.

Confession time. Before college, I had a strong inkling I wanted to work with words and become an author one day. However, I didn’t have the confidence in myself or my abilities to admit that to anyone, much less act upon it. So I entered K-State as an open options major, thinking I might find something more practical to want to be than a writer. But as I drifted between all these introductory classes in all these different majors, I wasn’t finding anything I was interested in. And trust me: I tried a BUNCH of different classes. Within my days, though, I would sit in philosophy daydreaming about story and character ideas I had or be walking back to the dorms from communications class and reading a summary of the newest Marissa Meyer book coming out or ignoring studying for Spanish because I was so engrossed with a book.

In all honesty, it was draining to be spending so much time focusing on areas of study that I had no interest in. Late in the spring semester of my freshman year, I realized it didn’t matter what other people thought of as a practical, safe career. In fact, maybe that wasn’t what I wanted. Finally, I admitted to myself what I really wanted to work with and produce: words. Since becoming an English major with an emphasis in creative writing, I haven’t looked back, and have begun working towards my future goal of one day being a published author.

And those five reasons, ladle spoons and jelly beans, are the reasons why there is no shame in being an open options student. Trust and believe me when I say that no one on campus has all of their life put together. Newsflash: going into college with a major in no way indicates that will be the major you graduate with.

Being an open options major at KSU just publicly says you are trying to figure it out. And guess what? THAT IS OKAY. So stop beating yourself up about not knowing what you want to do with the rest of your life (it has only just begun you know), and take the time to explore your options, to think about what it is that would make you happy to get out of the bed in the morning to do for the rest of your day, everyday. Stop worrying, and start searching!