I'm a sophomore in college and I dont know what to major in!

<p>Sophomore. barely getting through my engineering classes. considering dropping engineering but idk what to go to. I thought about math, but I hate computer programming. Im decent in physics and chem but then again it is college and i might hate it. tried anthro, psych, bio, business and foreign language and hated them</p>

<p>basically im sitting here in college doing chemical engineering and having **** grades. I try so hard but big lecture classes are where i do poorly in. now questioning whether or not engineering is for me and where do i go from here. realized that I hate thermodynamics too and materials science</p>

<p>how about history… no one hates history.</p>

<p>How about explaining what you DO like… That’s a start.</p>

<p>…or just name off EVERYTHING you don’t like. I mean everything. Then you’ll be left with what you’re indifferent to and what you actually like.</p>

<p>I’m actually in the same situation as you at the moment I’m a sophomore in college and I’ve tried psychology and cognitive science. Its hard to do well in school when you don’t really like your major and your classes. I’ve thought about taking a class on essentially what I should do. A lot of colleges offer things like that. Again I haven’t tried it so I don’t really know how effective it is but hey it may be worth a try.</p>

<p>Nobody said college classes had to be fun and enjoyable. They’re a means to an end (getting a job/career).</p>

<p>I’ll ask you a different question (instead of “what should I major in?”):</p>

<p>What do you want to do with your life after college?</p>

<p>You can get jobs like Business Analyst with a major in Math… right? I’ve seen many similar job postings like that looking for math majors.
Honestly I don’t think Chemical Engineering is for you. You’re getting bad grades and you hate the classes including Thermodynamics, which is pretty important in Chemical Engineering. Well I’m not even an Engineering major so take it with a grain of salt lol.
I’m a senior Chemistry major with Math minor but I’m not planning to go into Chemistry because I don’t like it anymore. I wish I was an Applied Math major or something instead. Chemical Engineering is a good degree to get but I prob would’ve hated the scientific aspect of it.</p>

<p>So yeah anyway my vote is for changing to Math major lol. You can take Econ, Business, or Programming courses as electives to make yourself more marketable.</p>

<p>I mean, you hate programming, you hate thermo, you hate materials, you hate humanities, you hate social sciences, and you definitely hate bio. What’s left that’s employable?</p>

<p>Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Math.</p>

<p>I would recommend Physics or Chemistry, but there’s thermo, materials and in chem, biology.</p>

<p>Pick 1 that sounds fun and go with it. Or stick it out with Chemical Engineering.</p>

<p>Just remember you’ll be stuck in big lecture classes for a while.</p>

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<p>Not really…for many people, college classes are a means to an end - getting a job, but for other people it’s not. I’m doing my major because I like my classes, they’re enjoyable (and sometimes fun) but also a lot of work. You shouldn’t take a major where you hate all your classes as a means to an end. I always do better academically when I’m taking classes that I enjoy.</p>

<p>^^hj, I agree with you. My post probably wasn’t fully explained.</p>

<p>What I meant is that EVERY major has classes that are difficult/not-enjoyable. You should always be majoring in something you like, but realize there are a lot of hurdles you have to jump over that you don’t exactly like. </p>

<p>Of course the OP seems to hate everything he’s studying. Maybe he’s just not that into school?</p>

<p>When I hear somebody say “I hate that class” it usually means “It is a very difficult class that requires a tremendous amount of my study time in order to get a good grade”.</p>

<p>Some students are willing to put in those study hours, others are not. That’s kind of what I meant by college is a means to an end.</p>

<p>We all can’t be Van Wilder and stay in school for 7.5 years taking only the fun and easy classes.</p>

<p>I think if you phrase it as “a means to a career” and don’t even mention job, then it probably motivates the person to seriously invest in their education and get the most out of it. “Having a job” implies that it’s something you’re doing to make a little money, you can do that without getting a college degree. Most people go to college to get a degree, and thus acquire a career, and unfortunately only a handful of majors lead directly into a job. Majors such as engineering, marketing, economics, finance, and computer science can lead directly into industry. But what about the majors that encourage further study in academia? </p>

<p>You can say that majors like biology or chemistry can lead to interesting industry professions, but I get the impression that those particular occupations are reserved the most motivated and accomplished students out of undergrad. Somebody correct me on that if I’m wrong on that. It seems that the better career prospects are for those who go on to graduate study. Anyhow…</p>

<p>Personally I’m double majoring in philosophy and econ, and increasingly getting more interested in economics (philosophy is my original major). Initially after taking an intro philosophy class, I loved the material and had aspirations of going to grad school for philosophy and becoming a professor. However, I see that route as something that can be pursued part time. Taking a more practical approach, I rather work out of undergrad and try to find something I enjoy at least somewhat related to economics. Philosophy is more or less an ‘enrichment’ degree, as are the other humanities majors. I still like philosophy classes and think almost everybody should at least take intro philosophy if they’re in college. With this economy though, people are better off going to school for a degree that can present to an employer that they have desirable skills. Can somebody get into business successfully with only a philosophy major? Of course they can, but it’s certainly more difficult and their resume may get overlooked. Students ought to do themselves a favor and make sure their classes have direct real world application regardless of the major. I don’t think many humanities majors require more than say, 45 credit hours of major coursework.</p>

<p>Many college students end up majoring in beer. However, do to recent events, I would discourage it.</p>

<p>Brandy probably isn’t a great idea, either.</p>

<p>Have you considered transferring to a smaller college? Maybe you just need more one-on-one with your professors, since you said it is the large lecture-style courses that you have difficultly in. However, there is no sense in pursuing something you do not enjoy, either. Maybe talk to your academic counselor?</p>

<p>Hi guys,</p>

<p>I’m actually going through a similar situation myself. I know I want to make decent money and also enjoy my job. But my parents are scaring me that there won’t be good pay within the entertainment industry. I was originally a bio major (which was practically bio chem and i can’t stand chem) and I’m thinking about nutrition with a minor in business of entertainment media and techonology. Anybody have any suggestions?</p>

<p>To OP</p>

<p>It doesn’t make much sense to remain in engineering if you hate it and you’re doing poorly. IF you’re going to make a change in major - now’s the time as a sophomore. You may not even have to do a fifth year depending on your choice and the availability of summer classes.</p>

<p>I recommend you visit your college career services for a one-on-one interview. They usually have all kinds of resources to assist you from books to computer programs you can take to help guide you. Also, maybe your advisor can shed some light also-depending on how approachable they are. Don’t forget Mom and Dad - if also helpful and not too negative.</p>

<p>My son-in-law started out in engineering and transferred to the Ag School sophomore year. He had a to a fifth year, but enjoys his job and makes a decent living.</p>

<p>Hang in there - this is not uncommon - college students change majors all the time. You need asistance in direction/career choice - then the major will come into focus.</p>

<p>Best of luck!</p>

<p>CJ</p>