College Admissions, Engineering
It’s time to send out your college applications, but you have no idea what you want to major in. Being unsure of your major in is not uncommon. In fact, some students don’t declare a major until they’re into their sophomore year.
Your first year of college will be full of new experiences that may reinforce your current interests or lead you to new ones. Either way, you’ll begin to narrow down your choices.
There are a few other ways to narrow down your options for a major.
- List careers in which your interested.
- Consider your interests and strengths.
- Rely on your advisor.
- Visit career services.
Keep reading to learn more about how to pick a major!
Arguably the best way to go about choosing a major is to list careers in which you’re interested and a write a brief sentence about why you’re interested in each one. Writing helps you better process information and think about the bigger picture. Once you have a career in mind, list majors that, upon graduation, would qualify you for work in that field.
Considering your interests and strengths will be helpful as well. Are there any hobbies or talents you have? Is there a major available that will help you capitalize on those skills and lead to a career that you would enjoy? See if you can shadow people who work in these fields in order to see those skills applied in a career setting.
A guidance counselor or your freshman advisor will be incredibly helpful in helping you consider your options. They will also be able to suggest possible majors or careers that you haven’t considered. In fact, they may be able to suggest a course or student activity that could help you learn more before declaring a major.
Most universities have a career services center with a variety of resources that can help prospective students or existing students narrow their focus. Many offer tests that gauge your interests, skills, and background to suggest careers and majors that would put you on the right path.
Most freshman learn a lot about their interests during their freshman year. The good thing is that you can change your mind. If you don’t know what to major in or you’re on the fence, make sure to choose a college with a variety of majors.
Don’t sweat declaring a major. Take it one day at a time and you’ll make a decision before you know it.
