Junior in college, undecided major. Help? Please?

College Majors
1

<p>I am a junior in college and am having trouble choosing a major. Please help! </p>

<p>I have declared English as a major. I have more English credits than I do in other disciplines. But while I enjoy reading literature and making sense of it, I feel incomplete, or as if something is off, when that is my sole or even main focus.
Part of me is very visual/aesthetic/sensory side (photography, graphic design, creative writing). I need to be outputting something, not just taking things in. </p>

<p>Then, there is my more issues-based interest in literature, global culture, world politics, history, primatology, etc. But the theoretical aspects of these disciplines feel, frankly, lifeless to me without enrichment by the sensual/experiential aspects. </p>

<p>I like politics a lot as well, but again, best when it is infused with other fields. </p>

<p>And I also have a strong spiritual side interested the universe, religion/spirituality, and the impact these have on individual/collective experience.</p>

<p>I am drawn to journalism because capturing the stories encapsulated in people and places with exactness and grace fascinates me. In that sense, I prefer literary journalism or long-form features over hard news. But I'm not set on journalism. I just need to be outputting something in a written or photographic form - but I don't want to limit myself, either. Just because that's the area I've most explored doesn't mean it is my fate. So please venture outside of this in your suggestions. And note that my university does not have a journalism program.</p>

<p>I am not totally enthused with my university and am merely "okay" with its honors program. But I am a mid-year junior so I am going to make the best of my resources. I still have a desire to study abroad and do some soul-searching, but I don't know if I have time.</p>

<p>Based on all the above, I have the following questions:</p>

<ol>
<li>What should I major in (or also minor in)? Any suggested combinations?</li>
<li>How should I attempt to fulfill my goals in the short space of time I have, and so late in the game?</li>
<li>Any other advice?</li>
</ol>

2

<p>Your writing and communication skills seem complex. Why not tie into your English Major a Philosophy Major? Or major in one and minor in the other? You like the religion aspect and critical thinking?</p>

3

<p>So maybe I’m a horrible human being for thinking this way, but I would factor in career options into my choice of major more heavily than the quest to become learned and experience the world. Coming from this mindset I have a hard time recommending English or Philosophy, because you need to be able to pay off your loans and that’s hard to do without many job options.</p>

<p>Have you considered looking into marketing or advertising as a major? I’m not a marketing major but from what I understand it combines the visual/aesthetic/creative with persuasion and appeal to demographics, but there is still an analytical/business side. I feel like you’d have to output a lot of creative or well-designed written/visual content in a marketing role after graduation.</p>

<p>As far as switching majors with little time left, that’s just salvaging the situation as best as you can. Take classes that apply for multiple requirements, do summer courses, see if you can test out of anything, and keep in mind that staying a semester or two longer is not a big deal if it’s what you need to get to where you want to go in life.</p>

4

<p>I have faced the same situation as you are in. I have a couple suggestions:</p>

<ol>
<li><p>If you are close to finishing the English program, I would suggest finishing it. I was faced with a possible switch to a completely different program to where only 16 out of my 74 credits would actually be applied to the new major. I would be in school another 2 and a half years with summer courses. </p></li>
<li><p>Do you have any plans of going to graduate school? You can always get that English degree and go to graduate school for whatever you want. Most graduate school programs just require you to have a Bachelors degree and a certain undergraduate GPA.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Hope this helps.</p>