7 Things Nobody Tells You About Declaring A Major In College
By Emily Snider
1. There is no set time you need to have a major by
Freshman year, everyone will tell you: “Oh, you don’t have to declare until you’re a sophomore!” Then sophomore year, people will say: “Oh, you don’t really need a solid major until junior year.” See the trend? No one really knows what they’re doing until they’ve done it.
2. You will have upwards of ten life crises before you even remotely figure out which direction you want to go in
It’s a weekly occurrence for some, and it doesn’t mean you’re not cut out for college or that you’re doing it wrong, it means you are normal. It’s crazy, I know, but those rants you have with your roommates or your mother or your significant other? Those are the moments that will help you sort out where you need to be.
3. Your advisor should end up being your best friend
This is the one person you can blurt out all of your thoughts to about your future career and they will understand! They have degrees in how to guide college students for a reason, so trust them. If you can’t for some reason, find a mentor or another teacher who cares about your future and that you have faith in. This part is key.
4. You will have to do some outside research
This may sound like a nightmare, but researching your future can be fun if you want it to be. Pool your resources, Google the heck out of your career prospects, find people with careers that seem interesting and talk to them. You are like the detective and your future is the missing person. Go find it.
5. Try. New. Things.
This may be the oldest trick in the book, but it’s there for a reason. Are you in a lot of science classes? Take a communications course and spice it up! Think you might like journalism? Write for the school paper! Interested in non-profits? Volunteer or intern for a cause you care about! Worst-case scenario, you end up not liking it; you still have something to add to your resume and you’re one step closer to figuring your life out!
6. Constantly ask yourself questions
Do I not like this class because of the material or the teacher? Am I not thinking of a certain career because of the stereotype, or because I genuinely cannot see myself in that world? Sometimes your mind will put up a front with your heart, but if you keep analyzing what you like and don’t like, you’ll find that you have the answer somewhere between the two.
7. Don’t rush
Can you think of anything worse than being stuck in a career that you don’t like, just because you wanted/were told to pick a major before you were ready? It is like the perfect soul mate, the perfect wedding dress, etc. Once you find the one, you will know.