One of the most stressful parts of college is deciding on a college major. While in high school we’re all required to take classes like math, English, history, and science, college is a little different. Yes, you still have to take some of those courses, but ultimately you get to decide what you want to do. For some, this is liberating. For others, it feels like the hardest decision in the entire world.
Deciding what to major in can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be! We know it can be hard to ultimately figure out what you want to do, but we’ve come up with a few helpful tips that’ll hopefully set you in the right direction.
Be open.
One of the biggest things you’ll have to consider is being open to all options. All colleges and universities have a variety of majors and classes offered. Don’t just write something off because you think you won’t be interested in it. Look at all the majors offered and begin to picture yourself in all the different fields.
Explore your options.
The next step would be to take a variety of different courses. Most colleges require that you take at least one class in fields like science, humanities, and history. They don’t tell you what class you actually have to take, though. For instance, many colleges offer psychology as science you can take to fulfill your science GE (general education course).
Look through all the course options for each requirement and begin to pick out the ones that you think would interest you most. Don’t be afraid to take something you have no knowledge of or something that seems random or obscure. Sometimes these end up being the best classes! You truly never know what you may end up liking.
Think about what you’re good at and what you love.
Do you enjoy working with children? Maybe education or child psychology are the majors for you. Do you like editing videos? Maybe production or media management are the majors for you. Do you like to write? Try journalism or English. Are you obsessed with the human body and diseases? Biology might be the field for you. Do you like to promote things like events or music? You should look into public relations.
Sit down and think about what you like to do and what makes you happy. You’ll be surprised at how all of that stuff can lead you to find a major that suits you.
Look at the course options for each major.
Every major is going to have a required class that you’ll ultimately end up having to take. Look through the courses within each major to see what interests you the most. If there is a major that has a lot of classes that you’d absolutely love to take, maybe that’s the right major for you! This step would be helpful to do with a college advisor.
We know it may be tedious and it’s not always the most exciting thing in the world, but meeting with your college advisor can be really helpful. They can help explain different majors and courses and get you thinking about all of the different possibilities.
The most important thing to remember when trying to figure out what to major in is that it’s okay to not know what you want to do. Most college students don’t declare right away that way they have ample time to explore different fields to figure out exactly what they’re interested in.
Also, it’s important to remember that it is completely okay to change your major. It’s allowed and it’s acceptable. Don’t be discouraged by people telling you “that’s a bad major” or “where is that going to get you?” You truly never know where a major is going to get you in life. With the right amount of hard work, determination, and perseverance, you can end up doing what you love no matter what you major in.
Have you declared a major yet? If so, what is it and how did you reach your decision? If not, was this advice helpful? If you have any questions or need more advice, feel free to ask!