Do you remember the time when you were in high school? You must have thought at least once or twice about your future while in high school. Maybe you felt confused or pressured because you didn't know anything about college majors or what you really wanted. Besides, some students' majors are chosen based on their grades in high school, and they had no options. Teachers and/or parents recommend what to choose, so the students choose their major without any thought or interest on their own.
     Even though students had a vision for their future or already had information about a major, things are quite different from what they thought once they experience campus life. Eventually, students would have trouble getting used to their major. Maybe they think they made a bad choice.
     The merit of a free major system is to give students an opportunity or second chance to reconsider their choices. I totally agree with this system because I have been there. By this I mean I had that experience before. This is quite a huge agony for those students who feel regret about their major. I regard a free major system as a grace period for freshman to reconsider their decision.
     One of my friends complained about this system, saying "Why should students suffer this competition again? This is just another college entrance examination. A free major system wastes their precious time to make them focus on major and departmental environment. Except for those who didn't make up their mind yet, it's unfair for most students." In addition, someone who has experienced this system told me that it ruins many students' campus life, and for freshman they have to start everything all over again, regarding the school life when becoming sophemore.
     I think their opinions are as reasonable as mine, but let's think about what is the core of campus life. Cherishable memories, M.T., or Campus coupling are important things, but I think the most important thing is a passion for their major. It doesn't mean just getting good grades.
     Many students in Korea are just focusing on getting good grades, and they don't have enough time or energy to consider their real interests and aptitude. Nowadays, what most people are concerned about is getting a stable job, not learning itself. So they just choose their major using this standard. I think there is a huge difference between studying their major with passion and dispassionately going through the motions. Approaching their major without any conviction or passion, students can get a good grade at best, a shallow skill. This is not good for students themselves and for the university as well. We should use this free-major system as a chance to think about their aptitude and interests, and reconsider their choice.