<p>I'm going to be a senior next year, so I still have some time to decide on what I want to do. However, I don't even know where to begin.</p>
<p>I'm pretty sure I don't want to be an English or History major, but that's all I know.</p>
<p>So how do I decide, engineering, business, pre-med biology? None of the above?</p>
<p>Is it that uncommon to go to college without a real idea of what you want to do?</p>
<p>What did you or your children do to find out what to major in?</p>
<p>What subjects do you like? What are your eventual academic and career goals?</p>
<p>Many students enter university undecided. But one has to be aware that majors with long prerequisite chains or lots of requirements need to be planned early if there is even a possibility of majoring in them (e.g. engineering, sciences, and perhaps business). Also, unless one starts at a community college, there can be significant institutional and financial pressure to decide by the end of the second year.</p>
<p>Note that pre-med does not require majoring in biology or any other major.</p>
<p>If engineering is something you are interested in, apply to engineering school at a university with majors in anything you might be interested in. Engineering is often extremely hard or impossible to transfer into, but easy to transfer out of. Try a few engineering courses, if they aren’t all that interesting to you, transfer out.</p>
<p>I started in engineering because the idea of computers, though in it’s infancy, was really exciting to me. I got my degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering. </p>
<p>My daughter thought she might like civil engineering, started in the engineering program and found she didn’t like it. Took a few other courses that interested her, the one she liked the best were psychology and film. Declared her major in the second half of her second year. She just graduated (in four years) with a psychology major and film minor, and has a job lined up in advertising.</p>
<p>Her friend was interested in biology and engineering, and maybe premed. He majored in biomedical engineering, and is looking toward med school.</p>
<p>Choose a major based on your interests.</p>
<p>I looked at the classes that my college offers. I had a concept of what I knew I didn’t like, but a broad range of what I was interested in. </p>
<p>My major is now English because those are the classes that I wanted to take every single one–I could have filled my entire semester with just English courses. No other major or department at my school held that interest. Your major is where you’ll be taking most of your classes so make sure you can stomach taking A LOT of classes about that subject and from every direction, perspective, and aspect. For instance, I considered political science for a very long time but got to BC and didn’t want to take more than 3 of the classes–I only liked some of the topics being discussed, not the broad subject matter. I realized I couldn’t take the 25 required credits without wanting to kill myself. So here I am at English.</p>
<p>In some schools, like Rice, you don’t declare your major until the end of your sophomore year. So even though they ask what you are interested in for the application, except for architecture and music, you are allowed to change to anything else. As mentioned above, if you decide on an interest area that requires a lot of sequenced courses, it may put you behind if you decide later to change. But the introductory or general education courses are for exploring topics to discover your area of interest. Don’t worry about it if you don’t know now.</p>
<p>When I got to the point where I had to decide and I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to do I picked the major which was most employable. I ended up being terrible at it (and figured that made it rather unemployable) and moved to something easier which is still somewhat employable. </p>
<p>I’m in a position where I am commuting to a local university, thus my costs are lower than many others because I don’t have to pay for housing and have instate tuition. I have no need to graduate in 4 years, so I’m likely going to take an extra semester or year. This way I can take a variety of classes which don’t necessarily count towards my degree. In this way I get a “best of both worlds” sort of deal. I mention this because many members of this website look at those who pick their major based on employability as inferior or unintellectual and you’ll likely get a lot of people who will advise against it. I just wanted to offer an alternate perspective. Additionally I noticed you mentioned the majors which are typically associated with a “good job.”</p>
<p>As for Engineering vs. Business vs. Liberal Arts, look at what sorts of things you want to do. If you like Math and Physics but not English or Psychology then start out with Engineering. If you like Finance but not Science start out with Business. If you like everything start out with Liberal Arts. </p>
<p>After about a year you will probably start feeling pressure to decide your major, and certainly after your 3rd semester. Hopefully though by then you will not be as unsure as you are now.</p>
<p>Both of my kids chose their majors based on things they enjoyed AND were interested in AND were good at doing.</p>
<p>All through high school I really thought I wanted to go into anthropology. I thought the television show Bones was really cool. I think in my mind it sounded really cool but the reality was that I had no clue exactly what it was or why I liked it. I think I romanticized archaeology also thinking that digging in the middle of nowhere would be fascinating.</p>
<p>Things quickly changed. I went on a tour of NBC Studios at 30 Rock. It was love at first sight. I had always been nerdy about television and could spew a lot of miscellaneous facts about certain TV shows. I liked watching the behind-the-scenes things and listening to the dvd commentaries. I liked learning about the entertainment industry and why certain shows were presented at the Upfronts and why networks choose not to pick some up (I am still thanking God that NBC didn’t pick up Wonder Women). </p>
<p>We followed around 2 pages who took us to Brian William’s studio, Conan O’Brien’s studio, and the SNL studio. I just listening to these people talk and I sort of knew that I belonged there. I wanted to create quality television and presented it to an audience. I wanted to intern for Conan O’Brien (this also began my obsession with him). I wanted to become a page at 30 Rock. I wanted all that I saw.</p>
<p>Essentially after my visit to 30 Rock my future was pretty solidified. I wanted to work in television. I wanted to become a television producer. I wanted to work in Communications. </p>
<p>Study something you are passionate about. Something you love doing and wouldn’t mind doing on your day off. Something you could explain to friends and families and smile afterwards even if they just nod.</p>
<p>I grew up spending a lot of time outside, especially around creeks and lakes with my dad. I was always interested in nature, but my mom persuaded me to look into engineering because “it’s what the smart girls do.” I applied to my current school as a potential engineering major, but switched before summer even started to Biology after attending an accepted students weekend, sneaking out of the engineering presentation and listening to Bio undergrads talk about their research and experience. I was lucky that my school is strong in science, Bio particularly, and I’ve got a ton of great opportunities awaiting me. Long story short: I’ve always been a Bio major, I just didn’t realize it :)</p>
<p>Most of the people I know that don’t feel that way about something are in some kind of Business or Communications and generally mildly happy.</p>
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<p>Ditto this.</p>
<p>And, don’t underestimate the importance of the last clause.</p>
<p>In many cases teenagers don’t know what they’re good at. That’s what high school opportunities are there for (i.e. Industrial Technology, Business, Art, etc). Even ‘Engineering’ is way too broad. Or ‘Business’. or anything else. I’d rather see my child enjoy - or hate - a class in Marketing at the high school level rather than change her mind 2 years into the program. </p>
<p>It’s easy to job-shadow a specific professional for a week and see what they do. A lot more informative to do it on your own. You can follow me all day writing software and come to the conclusion that it’s this or that, or you can do something like FIRST and see for yourself what it takes. Likewise you can follow a Civil Engineer or talk to your Dad’s friend or cousin, or you can take a class where you design a house from scratch using AutoCAD or even a class that builds the house from scratch.</p>
<p>I read a lot and i’m good at English. It’s always been my best subject. I also enjoy speaking and debating. I was on the Debate Team my final two years of high school and became captain my last year. So I chose English Literature as my first major. In 3 or so years when I graduate I can go to Law School with it. I was originally going to have Creative Writing as my 2nd major, but I thought “What if in 3 years I graduate and I don’t want to do Law anymore?”. So i’m currently looking for a new 2nd major that I’ll still enjoy but that will also be marketable. Right now i’m thinking on Psychology.</p>
<p>My daughter always loved Math and so she is going to major in Math with a goal to be a Math teacher.</p>
<p>I liked Math and Science in High School but didn’t like English/History as much although I did fairly well in them. I decided to major in Engineering. I did not have a strong drive to a particular engineering (like Mechanical or Civil) and I don’t really like hands on engineering. I majored in Electrical Engineering as it is a good all purpose degree I thought.</p>
<p>Based my major on what I found most interesting which also happened to be (not surprisingly) what I was really good at too. Interest and ability often go hand in hand as its much easier to excel at something you find fascinating and being good at it makes it more intrinsically interesting. I did this from the get go: took courses I liked, tried to learn more about the ones I enjoyed and possible career paths, and gradually narrowed it down but always felt I had lots of different options remaining on the table. </p>
<p>It can be really hard, if not impossible, to know the right career (and hence major) at this young age. Even those that think they know often change their mind. It can create a lot of unnecessary pressure. I think at this stage, your ‘job’ is to explore and expose yourself to lots of courses and subjects that you think might be options, and stay attuned to what you like and do well at (not just courses, but also parts of courses/ways of thinking/particular skills you find you have).</p>
<p>You probably already know, generally speaking, which subjects you enjoy and are good at. Look through a college course catalog from a place you’re interested in. See which courses and programs sound particularly interesting to you. There may be courses and disciplines you’ve never even heard of that would be good choices for you.</p>
<p>OP - Good luck to you. I think it’s unfortunate that guidance counselors are so busy - this is an area where they could really help students.</p>
<p>Don’t want to be that guy, but you really shouldn’t be asking this question on CC?</p>
<p>Why? Even in the parents forum, the majority of people here are college students ie. haven’t been out in the job market yet. All these people telling to “follow your dreams”, “do what you love” and all that other magic fairy stuff are usually over-idealistic and have zero actual experience in the job market. I’d highly recommend making a compromise with something you do like, and something that will actually get you a job. </p>
<p>And before people start being “lolololol you’re still in college too”, lololololol right back at you.</p>
<p>Confused by your post, Intervenient. By far the majority of the posters on the Parents Forum are… parents. There is an occasional student poster, but I bet 90% of the posts out here are from adults who have been thru the major selection themselves, and often had 1 or more kids go through it as well. So why wouldn’t this be a good place to ask this question?</p>
<p>To answer the OP, oldest D was always a kid who loved social studies. She coveted a globe for her 4th birthday, and loved to read National Geographic from an early age. When she got to high school she discovered political campaigning, and also loved that. So it was a natural fit for her to be a political science/public policy double major, and she just finished up an internship at the State Department. She had a great experience, and hopes to land a permanent job there after graduation.</p>
<p>Second D is still in high school. She has always liked things like birds and insects (don’t get me started on all the dead bugs in my freezer waiting to be mounted…). Although she is pretty sure she doesn’t want to make a living as an ornithologist or entomologist, she is very likely headed for some kind of biology major, maybe a future as a biology researcher. Bio is also her favorite class (although she does love Shakespeare… but says herself that there is no future career for her there). She is pretty good at math, so she might end up with some kind of Bio/math (or statistics) double major.</p>
<p>ditto…most of the posters on the parents forum are uhmmmm parents and many have already “seen” kids through college. Mine chose their major without any prodding or nagging from us. The oldest (now a graduate and working in the field of his choice) picked his major because he liked it and he did well in it and could envision a related job, his minor he picked because he loves to read. Ditto my second, picked something he liked. Intervenient…College doesn’t “get you a job”…you get you a job.</p>