If high school was the time to “figure yourself out,” then college should be the time to solidify those well thought-out plans about your future, right? Sure. Except when you don’t have those plans yet. There’s a good chance you came to Skidmore, a liberal arts college, because you don’t know what you want to do, let alone major and focus your entire college career in. And now in your early undergraduate years, with the spring of sophomore year’s deadline to declare encroaching, your head is spinning.
Freshman year at a liberal arts college is the perfect time to take those courses you didn’t know you’d hate, and to never study them again. But now, as a sophomore, it’s time to get serious. You did come to Skidmore, in part, for the academics after all. The best way to narrow down your options is to peruse the course catalog. Noting which classes catch your eye the most will help determine which department entices you the most. Before making a quick judgment of a department, try to really investigate the courses. The American Studies department, for example, surprised my prior notions the most.
Hopefully, you’ll have noted so many potential departments, that you’ll have to narrow further. Think about where each major will take you after college. Do you want to go into the job market right away, or continue onto graduate school? The Skidmore career services webpage lists all Skidmore majors with suggestions of what jobs each degree could offer: http://cms.skidmore.edu/career/majors/index.cfm. In addition to visiting career services, consider setting up meetings with professors in your department of interest. Issues like senior projects, internships, and study abroad are key factors in determining your major. For example, can you complete major X, and still study abroad? Or conversely, does major X “highly recommend” that you study abroad when you’d rather not?
If you can’t choose one, think about pursuing a minor, or a double major, or both. The International Affairs major, for example, not only easily adapts to, but requires that you pursue a second department. A priority everyone should consider in declaring his/her major(s) is the buzz-killing grade point average. If you declare two majors and a minor, will you be able to maintain a good GPA? Unsurprisingly, graduate school admissions, like college admissions, as well as employers place a heavy weight on your GPA. So it’s important to not only indulge in the liberal arts belief of a well-rounded education, but to also take course loads that you can manage.
Finally, if you have narrowed down your list and still feel unsatisfied with your choices, you are likely a good candidate for the Self-Determined Major. Think about your skills and interests, and if Skidmore offers classes that cater to a personalized degree. Talk to your advisor or a professor in the Self-Determined Major department to gauge your ideas. Previous popular SDMs include Media Studies and Communications, Documentary Film Making, and Music Production, Recording, Engineering, and Business.
This all sounds like a daunting process, but don’t stress. Though an important one, this decision does not set your future in stone. In fact, a liberal arts degree will more likely guide you to an array of career paths, rather than a highly specialized one. What’s important is that you’ll graduate with a degree from one of the leading schools in the country, a golden ticket to wherever you go next.