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Choosing a Major
How will I choose a major?
#majors #choosing-a-major #college-major
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7 answers
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Doc’s Answer
Alexandra, choosing your college major is a huge step for any student. It guides your educational path and often provides the opening for future careers. The importance of this decision is enough to make even the toughest of characters a bit nervous. But, putting too much pressure on yourself to make a choice early isn't a good idea, there are things you can do and questions you can ask yourself to help guide you to the right decision. The best source of college advice is your school counselor. They’ve helped lots of students who are making the same decisions you are. Your school counselor can tell you more about college majors and program offerings. Here are five questions you might want to ask a counselor.
• Are there any college fairs at this school, or nearby?
• Which elective courses do you recommend?
• Do you have any information to help me start exploring careers?
• Can you put me in touch with recent grads who are going to the colleges on my wish list?
It’s a big decision, but you know yourself and your interests better than anyone. Remember, when choosing a major, the most important thing is to make sure you’re happy and clear about your priorities for your life and career after college. Remember, though this is an important decision, it is not etched in stone. If you start taking classes within your major and find you’re not enjoying them, switch classes or start trying classes in another major immediately. In fact, about two-thirds of undergraduates switch their major at least once, so keep that in mind as you take classes your first year. In fact, for some majors there are classes that crossover and count for multiple majors. Try taking a class for two majors you consider and one that counts for both to see which you like best! If you can also get a general education requirement out of one or all three classes, that's a bonus.
Good Luck Alexandra
You can also reach out to professionals working in the field you’re interested in. They can talk to you about how they got from college to where they are now. Whether they’re your parents, guardians, family members, or people you interact with professionally, set up a time to interview them. Be prepared with a set of questions to ask.
Volunteer and find internships. Internships and volunteer work are the best ways to get real hands-on experience in fields a major can lead to. You’ll get a great understanding of what day-to-day life in the profession is like. If you can, talk to people in different departments to see if their work interests you.
Generally at most four-year colleges you don’t have to decide on a major until the end of your sophomore year. This gives you time to try a couple of classes and see what you like before you decide, and earn general education credits that count toward your degree.
You can absolutely change your major in college. No matter what year you’re in, sometimes the major you declare doesn’t end up being the right one. If you decide to change your major, make sure the credits you need align with your expected graduation date. Go to your counselor for guidance on picking a new major and setting up your schedule.
• Are there any college fairs at this school, or nearby?
• Which elective courses do you recommend?
• Do you have any information to help me start exploring careers?
• Can you put me in touch with recent grads who are going to the colleges on my wish list?
It’s a big decision, but you know yourself and your interests better than anyone. Remember, when choosing a major, the most important thing is to make sure you’re happy and clear about your priorities for your life and career after college. Remember, though this is an important decision, it is not etched in stone. If you start taking classes within your major and find you’re not enjoying them, switch classes or start trying classes in another major immediately. In fact, about two-thirds of undergraduates switch their major at least once, so keep that in mind as you take classes your first year. In fact, for some majors there are classes that crossover and count for multiple majors. Try taking a class for two majors you consider and one that counts for both to see which you like best! If you can also get a general education requirement out of one or all three classes, that's a bonus.
Good Luck Alexandra
Doc recommends the following next steps:
Good advice. You don't want to specialize to early in your education, but you do want to create a plan. You want to target something you are passionate about, but you also want a field their is a demand for. Finding a mentor or someone that is currently working in the fields you are considering is critical if you are undecided. If possible try to get into an internship program that allows you to get exposed to different opportunities.
J Zirbel
Updated
LaShunta’s Answer
Hi,
My advice would be to pay close attention to what high school classes interest you the most. Is it art, physics, or even math? Which would you like to learn more about? For me, it was my high school biology course that started my career as a biologist in the pharmaceutical industry. You should also pay attention to what you like to do in your free time (hobbies). There are some majors out there that will allow you to turn your hobby (such as dance or theatre) into a degree.
Good luck!
My advice would be to pay close attention to what high school classes interest you the most. Is it art, physics, or even math? Which would you like to learn more about? For me, it was my high school biology course that started my career as a biologist in the pharmaceutical industry. You should also pay attention to what you like to do in your free time (hobbies). There are some majors out there that will allow you to turn your hobby (such as dance or theatre) into a degree.
Good luck!
Updated
Simeon’s Answer
I would see which careers you'd be interested in as a starting point. See if any of the fastest growing fields call out to you as a starting point. From there, watch videos on YouTube of people describing their favorite and least favorite parts of their jobs. Talk to real people if you can so you can ask more detailed questions. If nothing is calling out to you, I'd say that business degrees are usually pretty safe. Go with accounting, finance, or marketing. If you have a clear passion, then research which degrees companies look for. I'd look at the online job boards such as indeed or monster to see what you would need to get into those jobs.
Updated
Marcia’s Answer
Start with what current or past classes you enjoyed, were interested in, and did well in. What are those subjects? What do you want to learn more about?
Also, how do you like to spend your time? Working with your hands, building things? Reading and researching? Helping people by meeting with them directly? Consider all aspects of what makes you feel comfortable, challenged, fulfilled in your day-to-day life. That's how you want to have a career feel, and your education contributes to your choice of career path.
Sometimes figuring out a major starts with naming things you DON'T want to do, or aren't good at or interested in. Maybe you don't want to directly interact with people. If so, then you probably don't want to major in psychology or education (teaching). Maybe you faint at the sight of blood. If so, then you probably don't want to major in nursing, pre-medicine, or another medical field.
Look at the possibilities in a resource like "What can I do with a major in..." found here: https://www.myplan.com/majors/what-to-do-with-a-major.php
Talk to adults in a variety of fields to see what they do, what they like and don't like, how they got to where they are. Most people like to talk about what they do, so don't be shy about asking.
Finally, write down notes about all of these activities -- evaluating your courses, what you like to do, what you DON'T want to do, what you learn from "What can I do with a major in...". The process of writing it down helps you think about it and see a path toward some possible major and career goals. Writing it down helps you sort things out and move forward because you can continue to add notes and you can keep referring back to these notes as you narrow down your choices.
One other thing to remember is that choosing a major doesn't necessarily lead you to a specific career. A college education as a whole helps you build skills in critical thinking, research, analysis, writing, and communication that are applicable to many careers. Therefore, don't enter college thinking that you have to make a lifelong decision about your future by choosing a major. There are many paths that will be open to you.
Enjoy the process!
Marcia Hanlon
Also, how do you like to spend your time? Working with your hands, building things? Reading and researching? Helping people by meeting with them directly? Consider all aspects of what makes you feel comfortable, challenged, fulfilled in your day-to-day life. That's how you want to have a career feel, and your education contributes to your choice of career path.
Sometimes figuring out a major starts with naming things you DON'T want to do, or aren't good at or interested in. Maybe you don't want to directly interact with people. If so, then you probably don't want to major in psychology or education (teaching). Maybe you faint at the sight of blood. If so, then you probably don't want to major in nursing, pre-medicine, or another medical field.
Look at the possibilities in a resource like "What can I do with a major in..." found here: https://www.myplan.com/majors/what-to-do-with-a-major.php
Talk to adults in a variety of fields to see what they do, what they like and don't like, how they got to where they are. Most people like to talk about what they do, so don't be shy about asking.
Finally, write down notes about all of these activities -- evaluating your courses, what you like to do, what you DON'T want to do, what you learn from "What can I do with a major in...". The process of writing it down helps you think about it and see a path toward some possible major and career goals. Writing it down helps you sort things out and move forward because you can continue to add notes and you can keep referring back to these notes as you narrow down your choices.
One other thing to remember is that choosing a major doesn't necessarily lead you to a specific career. A college education as a whole helps you build skills in critical thinking, research, analysis, writing, and communication that are applicable to many careers. Therefore, don't enter college thinking that you have to make a lifelong decision about your future by choosing a major. There are many paths that will be open to you.
Enjoy the process!
Marcia Hanlon
Updated
kyujin’s Answer
choosing a major could be a hard thing to do. like others say, looking back at high school going from there could be a great help. taking courses that you had interest and build from there, if you want to go natural science field or want to try out other fields and explore.
Updated
K.C.’s Answer
Think about what kind of work you would do, even for free. Consider what you're passionate about. Now imagine you also need to pay rent. Then Google what you came up with--careers "working with kids" or careers "drawing sketches" or careers "cooking amazing food". Figure out what sounds interesting to you, and what will allow you to achieve the income you're looking for to have the kind of life you want. Examine the pathways to get there and what kind of college majors fit into that. Talk it over with your guidance counselor and your parents. This is the advice I wish someone had given me. Good luck!
Updated
Selene’s Answer
Hey, as a college student myself it was really hard to choose a major so do not stress yourself too much about it. Choose something that interests you but know that it's okay if you change your mind later. This isn't your final decision, and you can also jump around from majors until you find the one that suits you the best.