How soon do I have to choose a major?

Great question Samantha! You do not need to have a decision on your major before you start college. In fact, I changed my major a few times when I was in school! I thought I wanted to be a physical therapist, then a math teacher, and finally I decided on accounting and finance. Generally, any degree requires 1-2 years of general education courses. As such, during your first year it is a great time to talk to your advisors, attend career fairs and network to determine what career you want. I recommend to start thinking about the courses that you enjoy in high school, if there is one in particular you like, maybe sit down with the teacher for that subject to see if they can help you think through some possible career paths for that subject. Additionally, your guidance counselor may have some insight on career paths for you based on your interests. Further, there are several personality tests/career tests that you can take online. These might help you narrow your search down as well. It is very common for people to change majors within their first year or two of college. If you make changes within the first year or 2, this generally will not extend your graduation time frame. For example, I changed my major and still graduated when I originally expected. Good luck with your search.

<span style="background-color: transparent;">Collegeboard.org is a great resource for this! I poured through the pages of universities all over the U.S. when I was a senior in high school. Collegeboard was my go-to site! They put all of the information in one place and it is very easy to use. They even have various filters you can apply to see only colleges that have programs you are interested. To determine academic rigor, look at the admissions requirements, G.P.A. of past admitted applicants, SAT/ACT scores, class rank etc. This will give you an idea of what scores and grades you need to be accepted. However, don't be discouraged your application will be reviewed based on the full picture! College-board will help you get an idea of what is most important to the specific school you are applying to.</span>

This professional recommends the following next steps:

• <span style="background-color: transparent;">Chat with your Guidance Counselor</span>
• <span style="background-color: transparent;">Create a Collegeboard.org account</span>
• <span style="background-color: transparent;">Start using CollegeBoard as a resource to look up schools.</span>