I have changed my major ideas many, many times throughout the years. I started with marine biology in MS, then business, I thought biology for optometry because I love going to the optometrist and I think eyes are cool, then forensic specialist (NCIS’s fault), then forensic anthropologist (Bones’ fault), then environmental engineer, and then finally BACK to business but international business and French double major. It’s been a ride. I’m about to apply to college, there’s no way I’m going in “Undecided.”
I’ve always loved languages, traveling and other cultures so this seems like a very good option for me, there’s just a part of me that loves the idea of science. I like talking to other people, especially in other languages besides English. People are cooler in other languages to me. I’m already decently proficient in French, so that’d help. I like and am good at math, but I wouldn’t want to use high-level math all the time for engineering. I’m just afraid either way I go, I’ll end up hating it. Like what if I hate language learning in college? I liked it in HS when I had a good teacher and I like solo learning, but maybe my new prof won’t be as good. What if business is horrible? I was thinking I could be an international consultant or something like that, could stay in the US and coordinate with those abroad, or could just go abroad in general. And couldn’t you do that for most any company? Don’t people of most trades have to have relationships with foreign businesses/clients? If I went for science, I would study to become a pharmacist or something, I’m just not sure if I would be good at chemistry because in HS, my teacher was sick the whole year and we had a sub who had only taken a chem course in college. Basically, I don’t think I know a lot about chemistry. I was good at bio and physics, found them both cool, I just couldn’t do physics every day. I still think forensics are awesome, most anatomy just makes me queasy…Perhaps not the best fit. Optometry could still work but I do not want to own my own practice at all. I basically don’t want to be too rooted to wherever I am. I like a little bit of moving around.
You see my dilemma. I have no problem finding something I like, I’m just afraid the one I pick won’t pan out.
It sounds like you would really benefit from getting some jobs and being out in the work world, at least part time. It can give you a better idea of what jobs actually entail and help you figure out whether or not it might be a good/bad fit for you. Also, keep in mind that your major doesn’t have to limit your options for careers. Many people get a degree and then may work in the field for a while and then decide to get a master’s degree or certification in a different or complementary field. Lots of times the things we learn are useful in our lives and careers, even if they aren’t our major anyway.
My major was sociology, then I went to law school. I created a nonprofit health education & advocacy organization that I now run. I feel that all the courses I took have helped me in my current career, even though they aren’t directly applicable. I’ve also had other jobs over the years that used various skills.
Why not? It sounds like you are truly undecided, and at the vast majority of colleges, applying undecided doesn’t affect your admission at all. Applying undecided is essentially the same thing as putting something random on there and changing it a semester later. And it’s certainly better than arbitrarily selecting a major in the summer before your senior year and then struggling through it, no matter your level of interest, simply because you selected it already.
Identifying your interests is one step towards selecting a major, but it’s not the only one. There are lots of people who thought they’d love X before taking a class in it and fizzling out, switching to something else. The only way to really figure it out is to try a few classes in the field and see if you like it well enough to major in it. Your interests will help you narrow it down to some choices, and then you can try it out.
If you major in French and then decide you hate it…so what? You can change your major. Same thing about business or something.
Also, as HImom already said, your major isn’t the only determinant of your career and few people use every single skills they learned in a major. You can be a pharmacist without majoring in science (and you can major in science and become something that’s unrelated to health or science). A lot of your rumination is about careers, but you don’t have to worry about your career just yet. You’re picking a major. And while some majors will preclude you from some careers - at least without further study - you’ll still have a wide range of things you can do open to you.
You also don’t have to know a lot about a subject in HS to be good at it in college. I have a friend from college who is a biostatistician with a master’s degree. She was a math major in college…and she started with precalculus. Just because you don’t know a lot about chemistry now doesn’t mean you couldn’t learn about it in college and be good at it…that’s what college is for.
@juillet You make very good points, thank you! I wasn’t sure if putting undecided would make me look like I’m not serious or something. And I have been looking at this through a future-career lens, I think I try to plan too much ahead sometimes. I just can be really indecisive, as seen above, so I’m hoping I really like the major I start with or the majors I may switch to without having to keep changing. I have been talking about int business since the start of junior year so it’s not too whim-of-the-moment or anything, which is good, I just hope I don’t have another urge to change it somewhere down the line. Only time can tell, I guess. I honestly think I could be happy in any of those fields if I work hard enough and find a position I like, now that I think about it.
Again, thank you, I was freaking out a bit since I’m almost done getting my apps ready for early action. Also, love your screen name!
Clerk typist with many, many sheets of carbon paper—my clerical speed and accuracy is dreadful
Summer leader, supervising kids and teens—I can’t be around kids all day at work and go home and be around them some more (young sibblings) without having a much shorter temper with those at home than I’d like; good at organizing and leading
Hotel switchboard operator—don’t want to work in hotel industry because they want me to work when I’d want to be off having fun(holidays, nights, weekends)
Sales (shoes, clothes, jewelry)—can do it but really don’t LOVE it and hate telling an indecisive person what to choose
Tutoring—comes naturally and is something I mostly enjoy
Anyway, you get the idea. You can learn a lot from different jobs and volunteer positions if you put in good effort and pay attention. All of these experiences will help you figure out your direction and make you more marketable as an employee and volunteer.
Get the Book of Majors and spend some time with post it notes, review looking for things that look “amazing”, and those that look “interesting”. See what patterns emerge and what looks most interesting. See if you can narrow it to the top 3. Then pick a college that offers them all if you can.
When you get to college, try to take 2 classes in each area freshman year if you can. Two classes because one might be boring or have a great/terrible prof, so 2 gives you a better sample. Spend time in your college career center as well. See what kinds of jobs and internships are available for each of the majors.
If you can manage it, try to get some kind of work experience related to one of your interests summer after frosh year.
Ideally that will all help you narrow in on a major by the 2nd semester of sophomore year, when you really have to have it finalized.
Note that there are a few majors (physics, engineering, nursing) where there are long sequences of courses, and you’d need to decide earlier than that. But for many majors, that is fine, especially if you’ve taken some of the intro classes.
At some schools, you might be able to minor or double major, too. But figure that out once you get there and start trying things out.