College 101: Choosing Your Major

A Few Things Before We Get Started

Before we go any further, let me just say that the last assertion is wrong. The major you choose in college does not determine the rest of your life. Many English majors start off thinking they will be teachers, and wind up pursuing careers from Law to Medicine. The same applies for just about any major, outside of the directly career-oriented majors such as Nursing or Teacher Education. The point is that no matter what major you choose, you have options. It's helpful to know your career goals before choosing your major, but choosing a major does not mean the same thing as plotting your destiny.

That said, we must also acknowledge that settling into a major is no easy task. Whatever major you choose, you will have a strenuous course of study that will engage much-if not most-of your time over the next four years. It shouldn't be considered a life or death decision, but it also should not be a decision you take lightly.

What Is a Major, Anyway?

Before you even think of selecting a major, you need to know what a major is! Keep in mind during your selection process that a major is a defined course of study focusing on a particular area. That means you need to know, before selecting a major, exactly what you'll be studying, and how you see yourself working out your life in that field.

With that stored in your memory, let's look at some of the factors involved in selecting a major. There are four primary areas you will want to examine before choosing your major.

Your Strengths

Almost all of us have an idea of at least a few of our strengths. Whether you can create art people laud as bettered only by the Mona Lisa or have invented your own mathematical theorems that have all the modern day Euclids and Isaac Newtons impressed, you need to identify your own personal strengths before selecting a major. Sometimes, it takes someone else pointing out a personal strength for us to recognize it in ourselves. Ask your friends, family, and mentors what your strengths are. Create a list of your strengths, and use it while you browse through the potential majors that interest you. See how your strengths work into different majors. Remember that being good with math doesn't mean you have to be a Mathematics major. It just means that math is an area you might be suited for.

Your Weaknesses

Just as important as identifying strengths is identifying your weaknesses. Knowing what you aren't good at is helpful for knowing what majors you shouldn't consider. Even if you want to improve your skills as a writer, selecting an English major isn't good for you if you know writing is your weakest area. Make sure, while identifying weaknesses, you are actually pinpointing areas where you struggle; know the difference between a weakness and self-consciousness. Many of the best college writers consider themselves terrible writers; lots of great future surgeons tremble at the thought of having to make an incision in anything other than a pizza. Be careful not to misidentify your strengths as weaknesses, or vice versa. Again, ask friends, family members, and trusted advisors what your weaknesses are, and insist that they be honest.

Your Interests

What are you interested in? Do you like to write screenplays, or do you prefer critiquing them? Do you enjoy playing sports, or do you prefer teaching others how to play them? There is a major for just about every interest under the sun. Folks who love bugs can find schools offering Entomology major. People who love mountain climbing and other outdoor activities can settle into an Adventure Training major. Don't think your interests aren't good indicators of what you should do with your life. At the same time, don't let your interests guide you too heavily toward a major. Just because you love to write doesn't mean you should pursue a Creative Writing major if you'd be just as happy in Political Science. Just because you love to knit doesn't mean you should go for a Family and Consumer Sciences major, although you might. Pinpointing your interests gives you an idea of what areas you would be happy studying, and helps you avoid areas that might bore you into a major switch.

Your Aspirations

Of course, having a plan for your future is always helpful. If you know what career you want to eventually pursue, you'll have an easier time picking a major that will get you there. Sometimes, you may find yourself in the unique situation of having a career goal in which you could select any major and have a successful career. Bear in mind, however, that for as well as you plan your future, things change. I'm living proof of that. I entered college sure I wanted to teach High School English. It wasn't until the end of my junior year in the Teacher Education Program at my college that I realized-or else just finally acknowledged-something: I'm not particularly fond of high school students, and I don't like the idea of having the strict type of curriculum and lesson plans a high school teacher would have. Don't lock yourself into the first career choice that seems to suit your fancy. It might be better to have a general idea of what you want to do; in fact, having a general idea of several fields that interest you may help you pick a major that would suit any of those career goals.

Once You Select a Major: Now What?

Whatever you do, don't believe that the major you choose is the major you're stuck with. Believe it or not, most college students change their majors at least once. I know a young man who switched his major so many times he had to stay an extra year to complete a degree; he's still planning on going back to school to get another Bachelor's degree before pursuing graduate studies. You can pretty much always change your major; the only really bad time to switch is when you're so far into a course of study that switching would mean a whole new set of four years. Even then, if it's what you have to do, it's what you have to do.

Plan ahead while choosing a major. Have an idea of which majors interest you before you start registering under a certain major. And bear in mind two things. First, for any First-Year students out there, you usually don't have to declare a major-that is, settle on a definitive course of study-until your sophomore year. (Note: This rule doesn't really apply for a career major like Nursing.) You have a little bit of time to get into some things before you declare the major you'll study for the next four years. Take the time if you need it; rushing into a major could be a big mistake down the line.

Secondly, keep in mind that just because you've declared a major doesn't mean you have to cast aside your other interests. There is this wonderful thing called a Minor that you can tack onto your major. You can become a double-major if you'd like (though one must exercise careful with this, as selecting two highly strenuous majors could leave you burnt out after a few years, or even a few months). You can even have more than one minor. One girl I know was a double major who took a lot of summer classes to finish her degrees early; she wound up having time for two minors as well.

Whatever you do, be sure you select a major-and a minor, if you so choose-that you can live with four years down the line. Take your time; it'll all fall into place, even if it takes you a little longer to line your ducks up in a row than your other classmates!