How to Choose a College Major

Going to college is an important time in anyone's life. Therefore, the process of choosing a major is not something that should be taken lightly and, believe it or not, it can be more difficult than one might imagine. With so many choices and possible routes to take in life, how do you choose what to major in?

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Obviously, a college/university to attend
• An idea of what your interests are
• Patience

1. The obvious first step here would be to get accepted to a college or university, which is an entire topic in itself. We will open that entire can of worms at another time.

2. One of the easiest things you can do is start by creating a list of all your interests and hobbies. Doing this not only sorts out your thoughts on paper, but it can help you find interests you may not have even known about before.

3. Join a club or organization at your college or university. Choosing a college major becomes a lot easier when you are involved in a number of activities. Not only do you get to meet people, but you can be exposed to new ideas which could formulate into a potential major for you.

4. Don't be afraid to change your college major if you do not like it. Believe it or not, a good percentage of college students switch their majors at least once (I did as well), so don't get yourself in the mindset that you are stuck with what you choose. There is plenty of freedom in the process.

5. Make sure you look into all of the majors your college or university has to offer. A great idea would be to meet with an advisor, someone with a knowledge of the university's academics. Most schools have services set up to help students with the process of selecting a major, so utilize those resources.

6. Most importantly, choose a college major that will make you happy. There will be jobs available to you no matter what major you choose, and with the economy the way it is, everyone is going to have a harder time getting work. What you need to worry about now is finding something that you will be interested in learning about for at least four years.

Tips & Warnings

• Have patience. Take your time choosing a college major, because you do not have to pick one right away.
• These are supposed to be the best years of your life, so take a deep breath and relax. You'll figure it out.
• Eventually, you will have to choose a major. Do not let more than a couple years at school pass before you pick a major, because you will then be getting into a territory that may force you to stay longer at school. And when you don't want to be there any longer than you have to, that is the worst-case scenario.

[Velvett23]

on 12/23/2008 Great article thank you for the information!