Having trouble finding a good major

Hi! I’m having trouble finding a good major for me. Throughout grade school, I’ve vacillated between different majors. I originally wanted to be an engineer until I found out about how much math would be involved. Then I thought I could be an Orthodontist because I have a strong knowledge of Orthodontics having been to my Orthodontist many times for different reasons. Unfortunately, after taking biology and chemistry in high school, I’ve found that I don’t really enjoy the sciences and I’m not the best at it. I know I don’t want to pursue the sciences, and I prefer not to major in something heavily math based since my math skills aren’t very strong… I’ve always been good at learning languages, however, I’m not the best at writing in and reading English. I’ve always been a slow reader and haven’t had very strong writing skills which has steered me away from majoring in pre-law…

I have considered majoring in a foreign language, however, I want to find a job that pays well especially since my family is struggling to pay for college. People are always telling me to choose a major that I’m passionate about, but will also make money later on. It’s difficult to choose between interest and money. I also like to draw. I love to dance and perform, but I’m not at that level that I could do something very artistic and succeed as a career. It would be safe to say I’m more of a Jack of all trade… I have selected to go into college as a business major. Although I’m not sure if I will do well enough in those classes. I have mild ADHD and Generalized Anxiety Disorder, so it does affect my learning which is why I will need to take lighter courses my first year of college to maintain a good GPA. And because of this, I want to choose a major earlier on to finish in four years. I just want to graduate as the class of 2020 haha. I’m just very anxious about finding a major I can succeed in and will be a good return on investment. Thank you for taking the time to read this! I appreciate your taking the time to respond :slight_smile:

Many schools have you enter as “undecided” and you initially take a wide variety of courses to meet general education requirements. Then you have the opportunity to explore different departments.

The schools my children attended required students to declare their major their sophomore year.

Just to straighten things out: are you entering college as a first year this coming fall (which I’m assuming because you said you want to graduate in the class of 2020)?

At many if not most liberal arts colleges (including the liberal arts schools of larger universities), students are able, and are often required, to take classes from many different realms of knowledge (i.e. literature, social sciences, natural sciences, math and logic, etc.), and are not expected to declare their major until at least the end of their first year, sometimes even until the end of their second. These students often enter the college as an undeclared major. You could do so as well. If you’re going to start attending in the fall with a declared major in business and want to start as undeclared, you may need to change schools within the university. This can be done with a varying range of difficulty (or might not be possible) depending on your university. If you’re interested in performing but do not want to major in it, whatever your reason would be, you could consider minoring in something related to your interest in that field as well.

Another thing: you might find yourself drawn to fields you previously thought you weren’t good in or didn’t like while you were in high school. The way you learn and practice many subjects is much different and nuanced (and in my opinion more enjoyable) than in high school. I like math much more than I did in high school and find myself noticably better at it, for example. I also enjoy science and the study of literature more than I once did.

Also, if you are interested in business, you do not necessarily need to major in business. Many students who majored in one of many liberal arts majors enter the field just fine.

And welcome to CC!

“I have selected to go into college as a business major.” - PacificDancer

Majoring in business sounds like a good plan for you. Not overly rigorous and will give you numerous career options, provided you study hard and get good grades. Go for it!

Having a business background with foreign language knowledge and ability (minor? Or just keep up with it informally) will be a useful degree. Depending on where in the US you live, knowledge of Spanish in particular in conjunction with business can be very useful.

Thank you to everyone who has responded! It really means a lot! I’m still thinking long and hard about my decisions. I might decide to go undecided after all to give me the opportunity to explore more instead of starting in something that I don’t like then being behind if I choose to switch my major. Thanks again for taking the time to respond!