Picking which major to pursue for your college career is such an important decision. One of my biggest fears going into college was that I would choose a major that wasn’t a good fit for me. I originally came to Ithaca College as a psychology major. I wanted to pursue psychology to become a therapist with my own practice.
A couple of months in, I had adapted to college life, but I was struggling with psychology. I was not interested in my classes, had trouble focusing, and often struggled with the exams. The material and format of the exams were not for me and I didn’t feel passionate about my major at all.
The one thing I wanted to avoid when coming to college, I was faced with head-on. After a couple of meetings with my advisor, speaking with my parents, and my friends hearing many of my complaints, I realized one of my biggest fears was an easy fix. I was able to switch my major with the help of advisors and professors. I was between psychology and advertising, public relations, and marketing communications (APRMC) when coming to Ithaca. I knew when psychology wasn’t working out that APRMC might’ve been a better fit for me academically with the way the classes were formatted, the finals being presentation-based, and that I could work with other students more. APRMC allows me to embrace my creative side by making advertisements while combining the strategic side of communications. Although I wasn’t satisfied with my major at first, after switching to APRMC, I couldn’t be happier!
What To Ask Yourself When Picking a Major
When coming to college, students are thrown into a whole new environment and expected to know exactly what they want to study. It’s okay not to know what you want to do! Here are some things I wish I had taken into account when picking my major:
It’s important to know what type of learner you are and what you’re good at. Do you like discussion-based classes? In high school, were there any courses that you felt passionate about?
I personally would rather give an hour-long presentation than take a 30-question multiple-choice exam. Being an APRMC major is very presentation and discussion-based. I remember the first APRMC course I took after switching my major was Strategic Communication. We did a lot of hands-on activities in class and got to do numerous group projects. When I took the first class, I immediately knew the qualities of APRMC fulfill my needs and let me learn to the best of my ability.
Along with your learner type, it’s important to identify some things you may have dreaded in your school years. Think deeper than I don’t like math, so I shouldn’t be a math major. What about the course do you dislike? Does something about the subject cause you stress? Dig deep into why you did or didn’t particularly love a class throughout your schooling, and then you know what to look for and what to rule out.
When deciding on a major, your future career should be on your mind. If you have a career or field in mind that you may want to pursue, do some research and talk to your high school counselors! Ask things like, “What kind of jobs can I get with this major?” “How well do those jobs pay?” “What schools have successful alumni from this major?” It is also important to determine if the schools you want to apply to offer good programs for your prospective major.
Alternative To Immediately Picking A Major
Something to remember when applying to colleges is that going into freshman year undecided is not bad! There is a negative stigma around not knowing what you want to do, but if you are unsure of what you want to study, going undecided can allow you to actually test the waters of what you like since you’re taking so many general classes your freshman year. Going in undecided can take that pressure off having to make such a hefty decision and let you grow and decide what you want to pursue.
The main thing I wish I had known when it came to picking a major was it’s okay to make a mistake and not be sure what you want to study. It’s important to stay open to learning and take into account your needs as a human! There is so much pressure for students to pick the correct path, but the truth is, there is always a solution no matter what road you go down.