<p>I'm seriously considering "stopping out" (taking a few quarters off), so I can decide what I want to major in. I was thinking of it before, but it seemed a bit drastic. Now that a few posters have suggested it might be a good idea, I'm revisiting it.</p>
<p>The thing is, I've already worked (quite) a bit, travelled a bit, volunteered, talked with advisors, posted on this board, etc. I'm not sure what else to do to make this decision.</p>
<p>What could I do in a gap year to be sure that I'm on the right path? I know there are a lot of threads about what to do during a gap year, but this is a bit different. If I'm trying to figure out my major, I have a specific task to accomplish. What environment/activity would be best for that?</p>
<p>Teach English in China?
Take classes at community college in my home town in one of the subjects?
Go to therapy to figure out why I can't decide on a major? ;)</p>
<p>Ideally during a break from college for this reason (as opposed to feeling overwhelmed or depressed or chronically bored), you would want to be able to get a specific taste of the real world of work (which is part of what a college major is preparing you for, right?). </p>
<p>Let's say you've narrowed your interests down to three different majors; you could spend some time job-shadowing people who do what these majors prepared them to do. For example, if you are torn between pre-med and engineering and computer science, you could shadow a variety of doctors and engineers and computer types for a week at a time. </p>
<p>If you have not narrowed down your interests to two or at the most three, then I think you need to do some work in that area. One book that I can recommend helps you analyze possible careers based on your personality type. It helps you discover whether you are naturally more extroverted than introverted, or more of a thinker than a feeler, etc... Then it makes suggestions of types of careers that would be a natural fit for your strengths. It's amazing how some careers are just perfect for introverted thinkers and others are just right for extroverted feeling types. It's called "Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You through the Secrets of Personality Type" by Paul D. Tieger. I own it and have found it very helpful personally and for my two kids. Your college counseling office might have it (or your library).</p>
<p>Taking classes at community college would probably not help in your decision, and besides, you could take sample classes at your university. Nor would doing something random like teaching English in China be that helpful, though the experience would be good for you in other ways. Therapy is an option, but I don't think you need to spend a ton of money on figuring out why you are indecisive... it's completely normal to not know what you want to major in or do for a living. Probably, you would be good at and are interested in many things, which is a sign of competence and intelligence, though it does make it frustrating.</p>
<p>Thanks for the adivce. That's a really good idea. I'd heard of shadowing before, but hadn't really thought of applying it in this way. I'll see if I can do some shadowing this summer before I go back (?) to school. I have a few unplanned weeks and perhaps that's how I can spend them. :)</p>
<p>1) Do NOT take time off. You already have worked/traveled etc. and so it is not very likely that you will find the answers you are looking for. What can happen is that you can get sidetracked/delayed and just end up farther away from a degree. My son has taken 3 years off from school -- the time off was a good thing, and he benefitted from work/real world experience, and has a much clearer idea of what he wants to do with his life. But not any better idea of what he wants to major in. He is back in school now as a poli sci major, which is not really what he wants most to major in, but is the one that fits best with his goal of getting through college as quickliy and cheaply as possible. He turned down a really neat job offer with good money this summer, and it was hard -- but he realized that it was going to get harder and harder to take time off from life to go back to school. And having a degree-- any degree- is worthwhile.</p>
<p>2) Pick a major and stick with it. Your major will NOT determine the course of your whole life. It is always possible to go back to school later on and get a masters is something different than what the undergraduate degree is. </p>
<p>3) From what you wrote, I think you should switch to Human Biology, because that is the major you seem to be most interested in, and it also seems to be the most flexible, so you could probably fit in some of the other courses you are interested in, or even do a minor along with it. Every other major you listed you found fault with the courses -- either you didn't like the theory & approach being taught, or you thought classes were boring or too hard. </p>
<p>It is dumb to choose a major in something you don't enjoy because you think it will get you a job with a better starting salary -- unless your goal is to also set yourself up in a career you hate. Much better to focus on something you are interested in -- you are more likely to stick with and advance in a career that you like. </p>
<p>I think there is some value for some students in taking time off -- but in your situation, as a junior transfer, I think the barrier you need to overcome is your own indecisiveness. In a sense, at this point, time off is simply an avoidance mechanism.</p>
<p>Yeah, I agree with you about the avoidance thing. I'd decided to just plow through and do my extracurriculars, but then someone suggested that it might work for me, and I started to wonder if maybe there was something more concrete I could do instead of "gain life experience".</p>
<p>I do like the idea of doing some shadowing, though, and I've contacted a few people to see if I can do that over the summer before school starts.</p>
<p>There are a million completely valid reasons to take time off: finances, family situations, health, immaturity, emotional difficulties. If you aren't having trouble doing the school work, though, and find the degree to be useful, then just do it. </p>
<p>Your major does NOT determine your life. If you need any more specialization or don't have the required background for something that you want to do, then get a master's a night. Until then, just major in something (or two things, or major and minor) and get through school.</p>
<p>In reading your posts over time what really strikes me is that you seem fearful of getting through college. It seems like you built up college to be something it can't possibly be--perfect. You have dome amazingly. Going to Cal from a CC. But that wasn't good enough. Yo then did the unbelievable, got into Stanford. Still, it wasn't perfect enough.</p>
<p>I don't know how old you are but it's clearly older than most college students. It sounds like you're looking for Disneyland it not finding it. Yet you're in the position to get a fabulous degree and go on to grad school or a great job.</p>
<p>Me thinks you're a bit afraid of real life and want to hang on to the ivy tower. Probably, real life will be a happy surprise for someone like you able to beat the odds to get into the programs you did. Time to make the hard choices, complete a degree, achieve closure, move on to your next goal and take on the world. You can do it if you've come this far.</p>