For most college students, finding your perfect major can be very difficult. Most of us are blinded by the hundreds of options our schools have to offer, and we get lost in the search. A lot of college students don’t even know half of the majors that their school offers. Without even this basic information, how can we make an informed decision when choosing? If you are like me, I came to school with somewhat of a plan on what major I wanted and what career that would lead me to, and ended up switching my major several times. I went from Chemistry to Math, to Writing, to Communication, to Psychology, and I finally landed on Sociology. It took me a while, but I finally found a major that I absolutely adore. If you are like the majority of college students and need help finding a major that fits perfectly for you, here is my advice:
1. You need to know yourself before you can choose your major.
It seems ridiculous to me now that colleges have eighteen-year-olds choose their major right out of the gate. You really can’t make an informed decision about what you want to study for the next four years if you barely know who you are as a person, and let’s face it: most of us had no idea who we were when we were high school seniors. If you are trying to find your perfect major, you need to learn who you really are. I would suggest taking personality tests such as 16 Personalities. It will give you some insight as to what your strengths, weaknesses, likes, and dislikes are, and get you closer to choosing a great major.
2. Come up with an idea of your preferences and skills.
Make a list of your skills and weaknesses and start applying these to majors. Also, include what you do and don’t like to do. Knowing these simple facts about yourself can really help you narrow down which majors you should seriously avoid, and which ones you may enjoy.
3. Consider the majors of people similar to you.
Different majors tend to reel in and produce different personalities, so researching the majors of people similar to you can be very useful. If you and one of your friends have very similar ideas and morals, maybe check out their major and see if it interests you at all. Odds are, if you have the same likes, dislikes, and ideals as an art major, you probably won’t end up in business or accounting, so why not follow your peers and friends.
4. Research majors all the time.
The problem with huge campuses like the University of Utah is that most students have no idea how many/what majors the school offers. For example, when I started at the U, I had no idea what Sociology was let alone that there was a major for it here. If you are researching often, you will be able to rule out the majors that sound terrible to you, discover majors you have never heard of before, and go into your new major feeling well informed. If you are really feeling stuck, make flash cards of every major offered on campus, and set aside the ones that you could possibly see yourself majoring in. Then ask yourself why you chose that major specifically, and maybe take an intro class.
5. Consider your future career.
What do you want to do in life? What major can help you reach that goal? When choosing a major, you must consider your future job because odds are, that is why you came to college. Start by narrowing down which jobs you would never consider doing, and then do further research on jobs that seem like a possibility. Once you have a list of possible careers, research which majors can help you obtain that position. If you are like me and have no idea what you want to do as a future career, just go broad in your major. Most majors will help you with a wide variety of jobs.
6. Use your campus’ resources.
See an academic advisor, run degree audits, take broad intro classes, and take classes designed to help you find a major. All of these things were very useful in my search for the perfect major, and seriously recommend that you try some of them.
7. Remember that your major does not define the rest of your life.
If you choose a major, get a degree, and then end up interested in a field where your major does not help you at all, don’t fret. It is not the end of the world. In today’s society, where a bachelor’s degree is about the equivalent to a GED twenty years ago, it almost doesn’t matter at all what major you choose. Pick something you like and run with it. Everything will fall into place eventually.
The search for one’s major can be very long, overwhelming, and confusing. There are so many options nowadays, that you can feel cripled by the number of decisions available. As long as you end up choosing a major where you feel like the truest version of yourself, I promise everything will work out well. Don’t let this decision control your life. Just be open to new things, listen to what your gut is telling you, and do your research. Hopefully, you will find your perfect major like me. I hope this article helps you a little because I sure could have used an article like it about two years ago. Good luck finding your major, children. I believe in you!