Meghan Gallagher is a Seattle-based freelance content writer and strategist. She has a B.S. in Marketing Management and a background in digital marketing for healthcare, nonprofit, and higher education organizations.
Meghan Gallagher ContributorMeghan Gallagher is a Seattle-based freelance content writer and strategist. She has a B.S. in Marketing Management and a background in digital marketing for healthcare, nonprofit, and higher education organizations.
Written By Meghan Gallagher ContributorMeghan Gallagher is a Seattle-based freelance content writer and strategist. She has a B.S. in Marketing Management and a background in digital marketing for healthcare, nonprofit, and higher education organizations.
Meghan Gallagher ContributorMeghan Gallagher is a Seattle-based freelance content writer and strategist. She has a B.S. in Marketing Management and a background in digital marketing for healthcare, nonprofit, and higher education organizations.
Contributor Veronica Beagle Managing EditorVeronica Beagle is the managing editor for Education at Forbes Advisor. She completed her master’s in English at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Before coming to Forbes Advisor she worked on education related content at HigherEducation.com and Re.
Veronica Beagle Managing EditorVeronica Beagle is the managing editor for Education at Forbes Advisor. She completed her master’s in English at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Before coming to Forbes Advisor she worked on education related content at HigherEducation.com and Re.
Veronica Beagle Managing EditorVeronica Beagle is the managing editor for Education at Forbes Advisor. She completed her master’s in English at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Before coming to Forbes Advisor she worked on education related content at HigherEducation.com and Re.
Veronica Beagle Managing EditorVeronica Beagle is the managing editor for Education at Forbes Advisor. She completed her master’s in English at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Before coming to Forbes Advisor she worked on education related content at HigherEducation.com and Re.
Updated: Jan 2, 2024, 5:57am
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Many college students feel substantial pressure when choosing a major, but it doesn’t have to be a stressful process. Equipped with the right questions and resources, selecting the right major can be straightforward and simple. Consider how you’d answer the following questions to determine which major is the best fit for you.
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College is a balance of working toward your future goals while taking advantage of the opportunities presented to you by classes, professors and extracurricular activities. To choose the right major, keep in mind both your present interests and your future career goals.
What subject could you talk on and on about? What fills you with excitement? Part of choosing the right college major is identifying where your core interests lie. Your major can set you up for your future career, so it’s important to choose a subject you can see yourself pursuing long-term.
At the same time, not all passions are potential careers. For instance, you may be passionate about animals, but if the sight of blood makes you queasy, veterinary science may not be the right major for you.
Understanding your strengths is key to determining your major. Your strengths can point you toward a career path. Strong organization skills and extroversion can indicate a career in event planning, for example. For this career path, a marketing management major may be appropriate.
Be honest with yourself about your strengths and weaknesses, and take into consideration the opinion of your close friends, teachers and others who know you well.
Envision where you want to be in five to 10 years. Where do you want to live? What position do you want to hold? Do you want to manage people or dive into research? Do you want to pursue a major with high earning potential?
To choose a major, you can work backward from these questions about your future goals. You may find yourself investigating a major or subject area you hadn’t considered before, but which might equip you to reach your goals.
Does reading about the human mind thrill or bore you? Do you find organic chemistry as mesmerizing as it is difficult?
Your major will require certain core courses. Ask yourself if you would be interested in each course on the list. You don’t need to feel passionate about all of the courses, but determining your interest will help you understand whether you’re choosing a major for the right reasons. It can also help you find clarity about your true interests.
If your mind is running in circles even after answering these questions, it may be helpful to turn to a trusted guidance counselor or teacher. One of the best ways to uncover which major is right for you is by asking someone who observes you in academic settings and can objectively answer questions about your academic strengths and weaknesses.
Make an appointment to speak with your counselor or teacher. Explain your dilemma, and ask how they can help you make an informed decision.
If you’re still unsure about which major would best suit you, you might consider a customized path of study.
In recent years, several colleges and universities have begun offering create-your-own majors. These individualized or interdisciplinary programs suit students who have many interests and want to take courses from a variety of majors to achieve their career goals.
In an interdisciplinary program, you can work with an advisor or professor to choose your own courses and make sure you meet the school’s requirements.
To design your own major, you must choose a college that offers this option. You should also make sure the school aligns with your future career and be prepared to put in some extra work. Though rewarding, designing your own major can be a rigorous process.
If you choose to double-major, you will need to fulfill the required credit hours for two undergraduate degrees at your school. The difficulty of this depends on your chosen areas of study. For instance, management and marketing may have lots of overlap in course requirements. English literature and biology, on the other hand, would have very few.
To determine whether a double major is right for you, it’s best to have a clear picture of your ideal career. Ask whether having two degrees would afford you a leg up in your career path. It’s also vital to be clear about your passion and interest in these subjects, as students with double majors often spend more time earning their degrees and have less time for other academic and extracurricular pursuits.
If you’re interested in subjects outside of your chosen major, you might pursue a minor. Compared to double-majoring, adding a minor entails fewer credits, more schedule flexibility and the option to choose which courses you take within the second subject area.
A minor can also demonstrate to future employers that you have interests and knowledge outside of your primary field. The additional work can help you stand out among other candidates. Minors also allow you the freedom to study a topic you find fascinating but which doesn’t fall within your major (for example, you can minor in creative writing as a chemistry major).
At most universities, there are no drawbacks or disadvantages to submitting your application with an undecided major. However, if a major requires you to start taking program-specific courses right away to graduate within four years, you may want to declare a major with your application.
Some students apply to college “undecided,” meaning they haven’t chosen a specific major or field of study. However, the longer you wait, the more required classes you’ll have to take in a limited amount of time.
General education classes are recommended for students enrolling in college with an undecided major. Make sure to select courses that can help you get a better sense of which subjects you’d like to study, such as an introduction to psychology or biology.
