It is estimated that over a third of college students switch majors at least once (Astorne-Figari & Speer, Economics of Education Review 70:75-93, 2019), but the impact of this switching behavior on students' pathways towards a science, technology, engineering, or math (STEM) degree are not well understood. In this study, using panel data from the Pathways through College Research Network, we explore how initial science identity-related beliefs about math and science recognition relate to students' STEM major plans over time- that is are students more likely to maintain their plan, switch among STEM majors, or leave STEM fields altogether? We account for students' motivational beliefs in pursuing STEM, their experiences of high-impact practices on campus, and the "additive effect" of credit accrual on persistence and maintaining aspirations. Using competing risk event history analysis, we test influential factors in the decision to leave a STEM major or switch among STEM majors in the first three years of undergraduate education at three institutions (n = 518). We observe that credit accrual was significantly related to lower odds of students either leaving or switching, and that different forms of science and math recognition predict significant differences in odds of switching among and leaving STEM majors. We observe significantly different sets of influences on switching and leaving behaviors which suggests that students who depart STEM might be fundamentally different from students who switch among fields, but who do not stay in their original field of interest.