How to choose a major

College Majors
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<p>Advice for those having a difficult time choosing a major</p>

<p>I am currently an undergraduate economics major with a mathematical emphasis at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. I’ve attended three different institutions, changed my major three times and taken time off to finally arrive where I am.</p>

<p>Deciding upon a major has been a relentless source of anxiety for me. My experiences after graduating high school have taught me so much about higher education, and knowing what I know now, I would have made very different decisions regarding my direction of study. The point of this post is to inform those who are in the position I was in, and give some guidance that will hopefully save some time and stress. I’m including my personal experiences with each point of advice I give as well as links to media that provide good advice to give you as many perspectives as possible on the matter.</p>

<p>Your major doesn’t define your career path</p>

<p>The first point I want to make is that a major does not define your career path.
I started my undergraduate studying marketing at IU-Bloomington’s Kelley School of Business. Before college had even started I was certain I was going to love marketing, complete impressive internships each summer, and then go on to get my MBA at a prestigious school. This all fell to pieces when I realized I really disliked business courses. I could get through them, but I actually ended up enjoying some of my humanities electives and economics courses much more than my marketing and finance classes. I realized that I had chosen my major entirely based off of my career aspirations and not my interests. </p>

<p>It can be daunting to choose a major when it feels like your entire career hinges on your decision. The truth is that your major has far less of an impact on career prospects than many people think. As this</a> article touches on, your major takes the backseat to a good GPA and a genuine interest in the internship or job you are applying for. </p>

<p>This same advice applies to graduate and professional schools. This</a> USA Today article explains why humanities major can be more beneficial than a science major for pre-med students. Majoring in a subject that you are interested in and naturally good at will lead to a higher GPA which will improve your chances of admission more than if you had chosen a major you thought would impress medical schools.</p>

<p>Learn for the sake of learning</p>

<p>After a year at IU, I took a semester off to work and travel throughout England to gain some perspective on what I wanted to study when I returned. During this time off from school, I rather frustratingly couldn’t decide on a major but I did realize that I had a thirst for knowledge. Being the first time I had been out of school in my life, something was missing. I was working several jobs spending my energy doing mindless tasks. I had a spirit of intellectual inquiry that wasn’t being satisfied. After the semester off I spent a quarter attending a community college in California, taking classes in oceanography, astronomy, film studies, history and government. The classes I took didn’t contribute to the degree I’m working on now, but it was the most intellectually stimulating period of time in my life and the courses gave me insight into myself and the world around me that is infinitely more valuable than the time and money I spent on the quarter. Although I don’t suggest taking classes that don’t lead to a degree, I think it is very important to be intellectually curious and willing to learn and develop in order to make the most out of an education. I think this is at the heart of a liberal arts education.</p>

<p>Harvard</a> University’s admissions website eloquently defines the values of a liberal arts education: “College is an opportunity to learn and reflect in an environment free from most of the constraints on time and energy that operate in the rest of life.” I encourage you to read the entire page if you are curious about the meaning of a liberal arts education. Although Harvard is not your average school, the values of a liberal arts education are universal. </p>

<p>Let your interests guide you</p>

<p>After my quarter at community college was complete, I applied to UW-Madison where I received in state tuition. I was accepted, but infuriatingly enough I still couldn’t decide upon a major. I decided to take classes that I had liked in the past and to pray. This somehow worked. Based on my enjoyment of the class at IU I took an economics class among many others. I thoroughly enjoyed my economics class so I decided to take more. Now I’m an Econ major and I’m finally satisfied that I’m heading in the right direction. Taking a required class of economics as a Freshman at Indiana led me on a long and winding path that </p>

<p>Have an open mind. Classes taken in high school can be very different in college. There are exciting classes out there that you mightn’t have known existed. Take advantage of electives and the flexibility of requirements. You never know what you might end up thoroughly enjoying. </p>

<p>Steve</a> Jobs’s commencement speech to Stanford graduates is an inspiring video that I highly recommend if you haven’t already seen it. As Jobs puts it,
[quote]
You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Ask around</p>

<p>Ask upperclassmen. They have been through the process of major selection and may have valuable advice to give you.</p>

<p>Ask guidance and career counselors. They are paid to give you advice! It is their job to make sure you get what you want out of your education. Make sure and make use of them if you have any questions.</p>

<p>Ask me! Please reply or pm if you have any questions or want to discuss any of this.</p>

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<p>Pretty solid advice. I’d say prayer is very important; nice to see amidst everything, that was something that helped you. Related to that is looking into your heart-- there’s a recent book out called A Jesuit’s Guide to (Almost) Everything by James Martin, which has some good stuff that’s relevant regarding making important decisions that I recommend.</p>

<p>Also, time-off, which you mentioned, can be instrumental as well. Often I feel that those just graduating high-school would do well to not just jump into college right away. I’ve heard of certain countries, universities, or something where they are required to take a year off for travel or something like that. But even just lightening course-load might be beneficial in giving one space to get some perspective, renewed energy or “hunger” and/or a chance to look into other activities that might hint towards a new interest one may want to learn more about with the assistance of a college education. “Let your interests guide you” as you say, or another way to put it, “listen to your soul.” </p>

<p>I can tell you put some of your own soul in your advice. I commend you for sharing.</p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

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<p>You have some good insights. I think the best way to determine your major is to take a lot of general education courses for the first two years. Some colleges won’t even let you declare a major until you are a junior. There also is the option of graduate school. Many people get a degree in a field and work in it for a few years, and then go to graduate school and get a master’s degree in something else entirely. That is what I am currently doing. In my case, my job forced me to attend courses in a different field, and the only way I could remain competitive and to succeed was to begin taking classes in IT. Not necessarily the way I wanted to go, but I’d done my undergraduate work in journalism, which is not a good field to go into these days. In general, I’d say follow your dream, but also have an understanding of where you want to be financially. If you really want to be an art major, that’s great, but know that you’re probably not going to have much money in your life. I don’t mean that you should base your decisions wholly on finances, but having the money to do what you want – even if it’s just taking art classes or photography – on the side while working at your main job, can make a real difference. I would have liked to have been a doctor, but my parents’ religion made that decision impossible. Sometimes you do have to compromise - whether it means taking a job you don’t really want so that you can pay the rent – or else finding something you like that allows you to pursue your real passion as a hobby in your free time.
Just my $0.02. Hope it helps.</p>