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Are there ways to explore multiple majors before committing to one?
I am aware that colleges have minors, but unsure of how flexible they are with letting students explore multiple majors. #double-major #choosing-a-major
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Pro’s Answer
Try an Interdisciplinary, Liberal Studies, or General Studies major, that will let you combine multiple interests. Or an Individually Designed major that you can even name yourself.
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Armina’s Answer
This is a great question. I know from personal experience I was not too sure what I wanted to major in before I got to college but I did know I wanted to do something business-related. At my particular university, if you have decided on a business major, you get to take a wide range of introduction classes to different concentrations. An example would be taking an intro to marketing or accounting class. Getting to experience all these different classes you get to see what things you really like and what topics you don't. I know for me it really helped to take all these different classes because it helped me realize that I really enjoyed accounting. Overall, I think it is super important to be open-minded when first deciding on a major. Take a wide variety of classes your first couple of years to fully understand what kind of topics you can see yourself learning about for the rest of your life.
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Lucy’s Answer
Hi Phuong! This really depends on the university you end up attending. At my school you can come in as an "undeclared" student meaning you have not picked a major yet. A lot of schools will also let you switch your major up through the end of your second year. Those first few years are a great opportunity to take general education classes that go toward the total amount of credit you need to graduate, and are great ways to explore different academic areas in the school. Another great resource once you are at school are the advisors. Even if you have not declared a major, they will be happy to sit down and talk with you about the type of classes you would take and possible careers in their designated major to see if you want to pursue it. Also, the admissions offices at the universities you are looking at will have better and more specific information about how open the school is to letting students switch majors throughout their time at the university.
I know that was a lot of information, but I hope it helped make it a little more clear!
I know that was a lot of information, but I hope it helped make it a little more clear!
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Courtney’s Answer
Hi Phuong! How courses are set up varies depending on the school, but at Gonzaga, we have lots of core classes and room in our schedule to take classes that are not related to our majors for extracurricular or minor credit. In almost every school it will be ok for you to go in undecided or change your major after a few semesters, and you can always be looking out for clubs and events put on by specific colleges (such as a club for engineers) if you want to get to know more about a major without committing to an entire class. College is typically more flexible than school up to that point, and I'm so glad you are already thinking about exploration in college because it's so important to have a diversity of experiences in your educational life!
look at the courses offered at your school of choice
see how many credit hours you can take a semester, and the requirement for a particular major
reach out to academic advisors at that college to discuss courses
Courtney recommends the following next steps: