This is inspired by a conversation with my younger brother, who is in his third year of college, and I expressed the same feelings while I was in college that he is now talking about. I feel that my major was broad, at least across the technology spectrum, but there were many classes I was not allowed to take since they did not fall in my major's line of study. I wanted to get into some audio recording/production courses as well as fine arts courses, but most were limited to audio or art majors. How limiting one's education to a straight line of inter-related courses is considered beneficial and correct by your university's standards I will never know.
Maybe college should be five years, and the first year everyone is required to take completely different courses from different areas of study to see what they do well in and what they truly enjoy. Four years with little room for error or change of heart really limits your exploratory and personal development. Graduates who have a chance to try new courses or subjects, and really pick something that they love would result in better grades and a more enjoyable college classroom experience for them.
Once I switched majors from accounting/finance (what was I thinking?) to Informatics after one semester, I was more attentive in class and expressed a genuine interest since the lectures and material were aligned with what I was and am currently into. I still look back, and wish I would have just gone the exploratory route the entire first year, and jumped into a line of study after giving all subjects a chance. What's another $20,000 of education and living expenses on top of an already large figure which you have your whole life to pay back?
The current academic schedule allows you to really only declare and switch majors within the first or second semester before you have to play catch up with summer courses to still graduate in four or four and a half years. Take at least the first semester of your first year of college, and take courses completely unrelated to what you wanted to declare coming into college.
One semester will not put you far behind, and it may lead to a much more enjoyable education and work life beyond the college years.
