How to Choose a College Major
- Abheya Nair
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
The college application process is an exciting milestone, but it can also feel overwhelming.
One of the biggest decisions you will face starting college is choosing your major. A college major is a specialized area of study that you select and will account for almost a third of your college coursework.1 These classes will help you learn knowledge and skills for a career or field you are interested in pursuing.2 They will shape your academic experience and future career path. The decision of what major you want to choose can take a lot of thought and reflection and ultimately is not a decision that has to occur overnight. Here are some helpful ways to get started:
Reflect on your interests:
Start by thinking about what topics genuinely excite you. Think about what classes you enjoy in school and write down reasons why you like them. Was it the subject matter, the types of assignments you completed, or both? Think about your strengths in these classes. Outside of the classroom, what types of extracurricular activities/jobs do you enjoy? Use your interests to narrow down groups of majors you might like such as the sciences, business, arts, social sciences, etc.
Think about your future career:
If you already have a specific career in mind, research which majors might be needed to get you to that career. Some careers, like engineering or nursing, might have direct majors associated with them while others, such as medicine or law, don’t have required majors but do have specific pre-requisite courses. It is also normal to be unsure about your future career! You can also try taking a career interest assessment, a few of which are listed below, which can help give you ideas of what you value most in a profession.
Career Interest Assessments:
Discuss it with your inner circle
Talk to your family, friends, mentors, and role models. Ask them about their career paths, what they enjoy about their work, and what their path looked like to get there. Get advice from people whose jobs and careers you admire. Talking through your thoughts with your support group can be a great way to finalize a decision. Also talk to your school counselors as they are great resources on college applications and career exploration.
Explore available majors
Colleges often offer hundreds of majors, many of which you may not have even heard about before. Explore the major lists at colleges you are interested in, looking at the courses that students are required to take. The College Board also has a Major Directory, linked below, that you can use to see which colleges have a particular major and what careers are associated with the major.
If you don’t know what major you want to choose, that is alright! Many universities allow students to apply as “undecided” and explore different subjects before declaring a major. One-third of college students even change majors during college. Take your time and choose a major that you truly enjoy.3
Citations
College Board. (n.d.). College Majors. BigFuture. https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/explore-careers/majors
CrashCourse. (2022, May 5). How to Choose a Major. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGR2Yf6yBRA&t=552s
Institute of Education Sciences. (2017, December). Beginning College Students Who Change Their Majors Within 3 Years of Enrollment. National Center for Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/pubs2018/2018434/index.asp
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