How to Choose Your College Major

Choosing a college major can seem super daunting. A lot of students find choosing their major easy, while at the same time many find it difficult. 

So What is a College Major?

A college major is a specific area of study a student focuses on. Most, if not all, of your college classes (except for general education courses) revolve around that area of study. 

For example, I am a Neuroscience major. Almost all of my college classes are about biology, chemistry, math, and psychology. 

Your college major is what you get your Bachelor’s degree in. This would be the degree you get for attending a four-year university.

Choosing a Major that is Right for You

When it comes to choosing your major, it is important that you find a major that is right for you. Oftentimes, people choose a random major without doing any research about what it entails and they regret it later on. 

It is super important to put a lot of thought into your major. This is because you are going to be studying that for four years and choosing a job based on the specific skill set that it requires. 

While writing your essay, I suggest addressing the reason behind why your grade was lower in a certain class and show how you grew from it. I would use this if there might have been a life-changing reason or a strong one as to why you didn’t perform well. You can also do this if certain college applications have short response questions. I would briefly address your situation behind getting those certain grades. 

Few Things to Consider About Choosing Your Major

I recommend taking some time to research a lot of different majors before deciding on one. Doing research will allow you to look in-depth into what each major is about and allow you to explore different fields of study. 

When choosing your major, base it on what interests you! You want to choose a major that you are going to enjoy studying. It’s important to have passion for what you are learning because that will propel you to succeed even more. You are going to be a lot more focused on learning and working when it’s something you love doing. You will also end up finding a career that you love doing. 

Additionally, you also want to look at what skill sets each major focuses on. You want to know what skills are required and see if they match up with your abilities and capabilities. Even if you are lacking in some areas, you learn those throughout your four years in college! 

Another thing to consider when choosing a major is the jobs that are associated with it. You can choose a major based upon the career choices or specific professions you want to enter. Along with this, factors to consider would be the amount of schooling required for that career after undergraduate college, salary, and career and salary growth. 

Reaching out! 

It is not easy deciding upon a major all by yourself. Here are some resources that can aid you in the decision-making process. 

I suggest talking to teachers and academic advisors/counselors from your high school. They can help you in providing different resources for you.

Furthermore, you can also reach out or book an appointment with career counselors from colleges that are on your list to apply to. They are usually very helpful in providing you information about different academic programs and resources the college provides. 

I also recommend talking with family to get their input on different majors and career choices. 

A big tip would be to get in touch with current college students to see what they are pursuing and how they like it. You can do this by asking your teachers, advisors, and family, and friends if they know anyone. You can also connect via social media like Instagram. One platform that I highly recommend would be LinkedIn. On LinkedIn, you can look up students that are going to the colleges you want to go to and connect with them. 

Undecided

If you are still unsure about what major you want to pursue it is completely fine to apply to college undecided. It is a lot more common than you would expect. 

Another thing that a lot of college applicants do is put down a major they might want to do and change it later on. Something to be mindful of is that you might have to complete additional requirements once your at college in order to make the switch. But it is doable in most cases!

If you do go undecided, definitely make use of the resources from your college to decide what major you want to pursue! Take a lot of different classes your freshman year to test the waters in different subject areas!

There’s a lot you can do to decide your major and even go undecided to give yourself some more time! Let me know down below what are majors you are interested in pursuing?