Choosing a college major is one of the most stressful things for students. Throughout high school, you may have to deal with people asking, "Where are you going to college?" Now that you're in college, the question immediately changes to, "What are you going to major in?"
While I can't do anything to prevent these questions, I can offer you some guidance on: How to choose a university major Below, I'll look at the five-step process you can use to find the right major, as well as explore some common questions that come up during this process.
In this article from the Universities Platform, we will attempt to answer the question: How do I choose my university major? We will also provide a detailed explanation of the most important University majors.
How do I choose my university major?
The following questions are great decision-making guidelines! Even if you feel you know exactly what you want to do for a post-college career, we encourage you to complete all of the questions, as you may discover important facts about yourself.
- What are my career goals after graduation?
- What is important to me?
- What do I care about?
- What are my strengths and weaknesses?
- What are the available majors?
Important university majors
Before we start talking about choosing a college major, let's talk about the most important college majors.
At least, it doesn't matter when it comes to getting a job. Most companies care whether you have a college degree; what your degree is actually for them matters less. In fact, many companies don't even care if you have a college degree at all, especially since it's easier to teach yourself valuable skills online.
So if you don't have a specific career in mind, the best approach is to choose a major that allows you to explore a variety of topics while also giving you enough free time for personal projects.
English (my major) was great for this, as are most humanities majors. A general business major is also ideal for this, and has the added benefit of teaching you how business works (knowledge that's valuable in any job).
Of course, there are some cases where your specialty is whatever If you're planning to go to law school or medical school, for example, certain majors tend to prepare you better.
Many pre-med students will choose biology or chemistry, a smart way to prepare for medical school courses. Similarly, many pre-law students will major in philosophy, history, or English to prepare for law school courses.
Choosing a university major
Now that you have some general ideas about whether your main issues are specific Or not, let's take a look at How to Choose your major.
As I see it, the process consists of five basic steps:
1. Discover your goals
Your first task is to answer a question bigger than, “What do I want to major in?” You first need to answer, “Why am I in college?”
This is something many students don't think about. College is simply the "next step" for many. But when choosing your major, you need to be clear about your goals for attending college.
If it's about getting a specific job (or just improving your odds of getting one), this is a great place to start. If your goal is something like, "Find out what I want to do in life," that's great, too.
Once you have a general goal in mind, you can take steps from there to figure out the specific major that will help you achieve that goal.
2. Take a variety of courses in your first year.
If possible, you should take as many different courses as possible during your first two semesters. There's no better way to explore a variety of fields and dip your toe into the things that interest you.
Most likely, certain subjects, classes, or professors will strike you as particularly interesting. For some students, this will be enough to make a decision. This was the case for me. I declared my English major at the end of my freshman year. However, other students will need more time and guidance, which leads us to the next step.
3. Talk to older students and professors.
Choosing a major is kind of like a job interview. You talk to lots of different companies (departments) to find the one that's right for you, while the companies are also trying to determine if you're a good fit for them.
Part of this process comes from taking a variety of classes, but it's also essential to meet students and professors from departments you're interested in. After all, if you don't enjoy hanging out with professors and students from your department, you probably won't major in that subject.
Additionally, talking to students in a particular major will give you an unfiltered view of what that major is like. Professors tend to promote their departments (after all, more students can mean more funding), so be skeptical of what they say. But older students will give you the unflattering truth.
Finally, don't forget to consult your advisor. Helping you choose a major is part of their job, so be sure to take advantage of their expertise. Even if your advisor doesn't know much about a subject you're interested in, they can still introduce you to professors who do.
4. Don't wait too long to declare your major.
While it is important to take some time to familiarize yourself with the different topics and sections, don't wait long time To declare your major. Some colleges even have requirements in place to prevent this (they require you to declare by the second semester of your sophomore year).
But regardless, declaring later makes it less likely that you'll graduate within four years. Remember: Your major does not determine the rest of your life. It's just one of many decisions you'll have to make in college, and it'll become less important once you graduate and advance in your career.
5. Avoid majors that take tons of time.
This last recommendation comes from me as I watch friends take too many classes in an attempt to either double major or complete a major with a large amount of coursework.
Unless You have a good reason to do so. Avoid majors that require you to add extra hours or complete hours of homework each day. While the challenge of this workload will teach you a lot about time management, there are better things to do with your time.
When you choose a major that has a light workload, it opens up time for other things like building your website, getting a part-time job, doing an internship, or making great friends.
These types of activities are essential to your broader education as well, and they can also boost your chances of landing a great job once you graduate. So don't neglect them unless your goal is to double major in music and computer science.
Choosing a university major and parents
Now that you have the basics of how to choose your major, I'd like to cover some common issues that can arise during the process. The first is what to do when your parents want you to major in one thing, but you really want to major in something else.
To begin, this is a difficult topic that can quickly become emotional and messy. I would never advise you to do anything that would create a rift in your family, and every situation is different. That said, I have two main thoughts on this topic.
First, if you're paying for college entirely yourself, you're perfectly within your rights to major in whatever you want.
The result may still be tension with your parents, but this isn't a case where your parents have any real control over what you do. You still have to decide whether it's worth it, but the decision is ultimately yours.
It's hard to argue when your parents are paying the bills.
When choosing a college major, you should consider your parents. It's likely that your parents are paying for your college education and therefore feel they should have a say. If this is the case, you can always convince your parents of the merits of the field you want to pursue.
But even then, some parents will insist that you major in a particular field or fields. If your parents refuse to pay for college if you don't major in something they want, you have to decide whether it's worth majoring in something you don't like in exchange for a degree. on Certificate (any degree).
I can't answer that question for you, but I can say this:
- For the vast majority of jobs, the specific degree doesn't matter. It's a compelling argument to make with a degree you don't like versus enhancing your job prospects.
- On the other hand, this college may not be the right path to achieving your goals. In this case, you need to decide whether it's worth pursuing.
When did you change your college major?
Another thing that comes up when students choose a major is whether they should changing Whether or not you major in it. After all, it's possible you'll choose a major, take a few classes, and then decide it's not the one you signed up for.
What should you do in these cases? Generally speaking, I don't encourage changing your major unless there's a dire need. For example, if you're completely failing your courses, changing majors is a good idea—otherwise, you're hurting your GPA for no reason.
But don't change majors just because you don't like a particular class or get bored doing certain homework.
Not every class will be the most exciting thing in the world. In fact, no matter what major (and career) you choose, there will always be days when you have to do boring work.
Your major does not define your life.
In concluding this guide, I want to reassure you once again: your major does not define you.
It seems like the most important thing in the world right now. But once you leave college and start working or pursuing further education, your major becomes much less important. After a few years in your career, it won't matter at all.
So choose something that interests you (and preferably doesn't require a lot of coursework), and know that while your major is part of the path, it doesn't determine your destination.
Source: Choosing a University Major college info geek
