How to Choose a Major
By: Tara Yuill
What should I major in? That is typically one of the first things that runs through your mind once you have made the decision to go to college. It is an exciting question because it means you have a world of possibilities. At this stage in your academic career you can do and be anything. This is a great time to explore your interests. Dream the impossible dream. There is nothing stopping you.
Whether you’re a Freshman, just beginning to explore the possibilities, or a Junior, who feels like they are running out of time, here are some things that can help you in this process.
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Use your General Education Courses as a source of exploration.
If you are just beginning your college experience you have a great deal of time to make your decision. As you may be aware, you are required to take a number of general education (GE) courses. You can use the time you are focusing on GE courses to explore your major options. GE courses give you a taste of various areas of academic study and can lead you to your college major. |
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Assess your interests.
A good way to do this is by making a list of all of the things that you like to do or have enjoyed studying.
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Hobbies |
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Classes you have enjoyed |
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Jobs you have liked |
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Types of magazines you like to read or educational TV shows that hold your interest |
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Way’s you would spend your time if you did not have to make a living (after college) |
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Political or social issues that seem important to you |
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Serious books you have read that kept your interest |
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Career ideas or major that parents, friends and faculty have suggested for you | |
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Conduct informational interviews.
If you have a hard time coming up with anything start talking to the people around you and ask about what their job is like or what they are studying within their major. Pick five or six careers that you have considered or find interesting. When interviewing people about their careers, do not forget to ask why they chose that job or major. Hopefully you will find something that interests you and if not maybe you will identify some majors that you do not want. Either way this should help you clarify your own interests. You may also find that majors and jobs do not line up exactly. For example, you can major in International Relations and get a job with the Secret Service or be an attorney. You major should be an area that you can excel in and have a strong enough interest that you will try hard to do well. |
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Use your college catalogue to explore your interests.
Get a college catalog and read the course descriptions. This may help you decide what to major in by just finding the classes you think sound interesting. Highlight the classes you like and take your list to a counselor in your career center. They can help you see how your interests would match up with possible career alternatives. |
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Complete a self assessment and find out about your strengths.
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Elevations® The Career Discovery Tool can help you make this decision by identifying careers that match with your skills, interests, values and personality. |
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To gain more information on a variety of careers you can check out the Elevations® Career Cards Links on this site. |
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There is also a great deal of information on choosing a major on wiredscholar.com and collegeboard.com. |
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If you are already a student on a college campus you may also want to visit the Career Center on your campus. They will be more than happy to help you with this decision. | |
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Consider a double major or design your own major.
A double major allows you to pick more than one area to focus your studies and it may help you find the right balance within your interests. This may take some additional time because you will need to complete all of the required coursework of each major. If the two majors are related however you may find that some of the classes overlap in that case contact you advisor and see if you can chose one class to count for both of the requirements.
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Designing your own major allows you to have a considerable amount of control over your course selection. Typically it requires approval form the Dean’s office so you may want to talk to an advisor before you start taking classes. | |
The most important thing to remember is that just because you pick a major does not mean that you cannot change it later. College is a great time for exploring your interests and learning new things so make sure what ever you do pick is something you like. Since the end result of a college degree is typically a job keep in mind that many businesses are more interested in the fact that you have a degree and put very little emphasis on what that degree needs to be in
