We all have a rough idea about the whole point of attending university, which is to study hard for three to five years and come out of that journey with a degree.

The only problem is, getting a degree isn’t as easy as it’s meant to be — the whole “choosing what you do for the entirety of your professional life” is daunting at the best of times. So what happens if your current degree isn’t really what you want to do? Let these nuggets of wisdom soak in.

Don’t Panic

Just remember that even if it all seems chaotic, the world isn’t over. First of all, all universities are totally prepared for this type of thing. The fact that you have until the census date — around week three — is indication enough, and to confirm this all you’ll need to do is ask around or check out the FAQ on your uni’s website.

Talk To An Advisor

The next thing you may want to do is talk to a student first-year advisor to get the down low on how the change happens. It may be as simple as transferring over on the website, but more often than not you’ll likely have to write a cover letter along with your transfer application to the academic chair or dean. Depending on how early or how late you jag the swap-over, you’ll want to get a good idea of the expected workload and how much time you’ll need to catch up.

Find Out What’s Putting You Off This One

Maybe the most crucial thing of all is to figure out just what’s made you wanna change degrees so quickly in the first place. What is it about your studies that have made you want to change? Maybe you got a taste of what kind of units the degree consisted of in senior years, or perhaps you got some advice from an industry professional that made you change your mind. Whatever the case, it’s totally fine, and a useful point of call in helping you realise what you would be interested in committing to for the length of your degree.

Research, Research, Research

Not only should you be looking at the general information documents on each course, but now is the time to hit the web and devote a good day to researching prospective fields of study. How long is the degree? How applicable are your options to other majors? What jobs does it offer? What is the current industry like? What is the Australian process of employment for professionals specific to your choices? These are all good questions you should be asking Google, your on-campus employment help centre, family and graduated peers, and wherever else you can find valuable info.

Submit And Send Forms ASAP

Ultimately, after making sure you’ve got a new plan sorted out that involves how you intend to make money and live in the future, the second most important thing in all this is getting the changes affirmed before you pay HECS for stuff you didn’t do. That’s pretty much it. Those transfer cover letters, all forms with student services acknowledging changes, and any and all Commonwealth-allocated documentation should be completed and sent off before the deadline as early as possible.

Cut-off-date awareness will be your friend through this, so make sure to check the census date with your uni.

Jonathon is studying journalism at Murdoch University in Perth.

(Lead image: Francisco Osorio, Flickr Creative Commons license)