It can be tough coming into college unsure of your future plans, but you’re not alone. For every student that swears they’ve wanted to be a nuclear engineer since they were four years-old, there’s another student who’s as lost as you are. Deciding on your major can require a lot of soul searching. To help you get started, I suggest spending some time asking yourself these questions.
1. What do I not like?
For me, personally, it was easier to identify what I didn’t like right away. The summer before college, I ripped out the UW-Madison list of majors from a booklet I’d been mailed and started crossing out majors I wasn’t interested in with a big black marker. Narrowing down my search made me feel less overwhelmed by the 200-some list of majors. Plus it was pretty fun to release some angst and rip apart something. 10/10 would recommend.
2. What do I like?
The basic AF question every parent/teacher/guidance counselor asks. It’s simple yet not simple at all! But tbh, they do have a point. I once had a teacher assign us a bubble map of our lives. List every single activity, club, sport, and organization you’ve ever chosen to be a part of. Why did you join each? What did you like about each? What activities led you to what you’re involved in today? Believe it or not, you can see a trend in where your interests lie based on what you’ve been drawn to your whole life. Try it!
3. Is this going well?
All students at UW-Madison are required to take a wide variety of classes to fulfill graduation requirements. Not only do these classes make for well-rounded students, but they also offer students (mandatory) exposure to different areas of study. My advice? Don’t just take the easiest classes you can find to satisfy your gen-eds. Take courses that pique your interests. After getting a taste, ask yourself, is this class going well? Am I achieving the scores I want? Do I like this subject material? If the answer is “no,” go back to your interests. Re-adjust and try again the following semester with a different course. If the answer is “yes,” talk to someone such as a professor, TA, or advisor. Get as much info as you can and go exploring!
4. What would make me happy?
There are a lot of reasons people choose certain majors or career fields. There’s salary, benefits, travel opportunities, prestige, and hundreds of other things to consider. However, the only reason you should truly concern yourself with is what will make you happy. You can try to crash and struggle your way through a degree plan that you don’t enjoy, because you think it will earn you more money in the long run. That’s your choice. However, what I would tell a friend is, do what makes you happy first, and the money, or whatever you’re wanting, will follow.
One last thing, you’re going to be okay. Just look where you’re sitting. We are at one of the top universities in the nation. You’re impressive. Your degree, whatever you choose, will reflect that. You are going to be okay. I promise.