Choosing a Major
the future is yours
Choosing A Major
Choosing a college major can be hard. Some students have known what they wanted to be since they were three years old; others aren’t sure, even with college right around the corner. Whether you’re already in college or you’ve just started applying, below are some tips to finding the major that’s right for you.
What Is A Major?
A major is a specific subject area college students specialize in. Typically, between one-third and one-half of the courses you’ll take in college will be in your major or related to it. Some colleges even let you design your own major!
What Is A Minor?
A minor is a secondary field you can study in while completing your major degree program. It’s a specialization that requires fewer courses than a major. Minors are only required for certain degrees.
Steps to Choosing A Major
1. What do you like?
The first thing to consider when picking a major is what you like to do. By the time you graduate high school you’ll have enough information and experience from your classes to figure out what you might or might not be interested in pursuing.
2. What are your career goals?
After digging into what you’re interested in and potential careers options, it’s time to think about your goals and your future career—and how easy or how hard it might be to find employment.
If you have a specific career goal in mind, you might need to pick your major or program in advance, sometimes as early as when you’re applying to college.
It’s also good to know what degree you’ll need for the field that interests you.
3. Talk to advisers and professionals
The best source of college advice is your school counselor. They’ve helped lots of students who are making the same decisions you are. Your school counselor can tell you more about college majors and program offerings. You can also reach out to professionals working in the field you’re interested in. They can talk to you about how they got from college to where they are now.