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Should I be stressing out about going in as undecided?
It's my first year, I have many scholarships but i am not devoted to a certain major. Should I just choose one or should I figure it out once I get there. #undecided
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Priyanka’s Answer
I think you shouldn't stress out. As time goes by, you will learn what is best for you. I have seen few of my friends do that and currently they are very happy with their career.
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N’s Answer
Absolutely not. When I graduated from high school, I had no idea what I wanted to do. As a matter of fact, my parents chose a major for me (Industrial Engineering), based on my grades and what I seemed to be good at and I just went for it, because I had nothing else in mind. After one year in college, being in the types of classes an engineer would need to take, and having an "Intro to Industrial Engineering" class, helped me understand that it wasn't for me. So thankfully, as you come in undecided that first year, you can use that year to figure out what classes you like best, and what other you do not. You can then go ahead and sit with the university advisor and discuss options . You can transfer your first year's credits to become your electives for example, if you decide to change majors, that way the first year does not go to waste, and you can then focus on the new major you decide to pursue. I also suggest using that first year to meet as many people and discuss their majors, what types of classes those are, what that would involve, and then you never know, you may find your perfect match just based on one conversation with one person :)
Best of luck!
Best of luck!
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Gloria’s Answer
Hi Cristy,
I actually knew my major when I went to college at 18. I did not graduate with that major. I wanted to write so I chose Journalism as a major. I even chose my university based on that major. However, I did not consider how competitive a project like that would be. So when you look at majors, learn as much as you can about what having that major entails. Consider majors that appeal to you. I am glad that you did not have scholarships that bound you to a specific major. That is a great gift to have the money for your use.
Since you are just starting your college experience, you should not feel a lot of pressure to decide on a major just yet. Most of your major work is done during your junior and senior year. I would suggest that you work hard on the general courses that you need to take at your university – English, History, Math, etc. I would also recommend that you challenge yourself with the elective courses that you take. If you do not really know what you want to major in, you should start to look in places where you have never looked. Take the elective that you don’t even know what it is. That will expose you to new experiences that may catch your attention.
I would also consider volunteering with different kinds of charities. Volunteering can sometimes put you into positions where you do jobs that you would not normally do. And hey, you might actually like them. You could be asked to do computer work, or customer service as a food bank, or painting a house.
Good luck on college and the search for your major,
Gloria
I actually knew my major when I went to college at 18. I did not graduate with that major. I wanted to write so I chose Journalism as a major. I even chose my university based on that major. However, I did not consider how competitive a project like that would be. So when you look at majors, learn as much as you can about what having that major entails. Consider majors that appeal to you. I am glad that you did not have scholarships that bound you to a specific major. That is a great gift to have the money for your use.
Since you are just starting your college experience, you should not feel a lot of pressure to decide on a major just yet. Most of your major work is done during your junior and senior year. I would suggest that you work hard on the general courses that you need to take at your university – English, History, Math, etc. I would also recommend that you challenge yourself with the elective courses that you take. If you do not really know what you want to major in, you should start to look in places where you have never looked. Take the elective that you don’t even know what it is. That will expose you to new experiences that may catch your attention.
I would also consider volunteering with different kinds of charities. Volunteering can sometimes put you into positions where you do jobs that you would not normally do. And hey, you might actually like them. You could be asked to do computer work, or customer service as a food bank, or painting a house.
Good luck on college and the search for your major,
Gloria
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NATASHA’s Answer
I am an undecided advisor and I love it when students come to college with an open mind. Some schools pride themselves on every student being undecided, like Duke, and others schools will make it pretty hard to change into a major once you get there. I think you should be an undecided major so that you can have the resources and staff to help you decide on a major and once you are ready to change, they can tell you how.
The two things you NEED to do as an undecided major:
1) Keep your GPA as high as possible (so that you can switch into the major of your choice once you decide).
2) Take classes that you want to explore for a possible major (example: Intro to Psychology for a Psychology major, Intro to Journalism for Journalism major).
Hi Natasha: I like your list of things you need to do as an undecided major. Very good points.
Sheila Jordan
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Simeon’s Answer
It'd be better if you figured it out once you get there. If you just guess a major, you're likely to change once you get there. See about spending some sessions with the school counselor to see if they can give you any insight on a good major to choose. Try to get an idea of what career you'd like to pursue with a college degree. I'd recommend thinking of possible career paths and not getting a degree just for the sake of getting a degree. Look at the department of labor's website and look at some of the faster growing career fields. See if any of these are right for you.
I was going to be a music performance major at first, tried out writing as a major for a few weeks, but ended up switching again to business management. I wanted to choose a general degree that was broadly applicable and I like business management since it was about bringing out the best in workers and helping them achieve their personal goals at work (which I know sounds like a super optimistic way of describing management, but one can hope, lol).
I was going to be a music performance major at first, tried out writing as a major for a few weeks, but ended up switching again to business management. I wanted to choose a general degree that was broadly applicable and I like business management since it was about bringing out the best in workers and helping them achieve their personal goals at work (which I know sounds like a super optimistic way of describing management, but one can hope, lol).
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Sheila’s Answer
Hello Cristy:
There's no right or wrong answer to your question. Based on my personal experience, one of my young adults knew exactly what they wanted to major in and the other was still deciding after entering college and nailed it. I'd suggest that you look at your strengths, interests, what you are passionate about, etc. Those areas are good starting points for you to research.
Best of luck to you as you select a major.
~ Sheila
There's no right or wrong answer to your question. Based on my personal experience, one of my young adults knew exactly what they wanted to major in and the other was still deciding after entering college and nailed it. I'd suggest that you look at your strengths, interests, what you are passionate about, etc. Those areas are good starting points for you to research.
Best of luck to you as you select a major.
~ Sheila