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Choosing a Major

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Written by CB Experts

College is about your future, BUT your future in what? Everyone who goes to college must think about a major. Although in most colleges the first two years are devoted to general education courses before deciding on a major, having an idea about what you will major in can help guide you in course selection.

Here are some things to think about when choosing your major.

Assessing Your Interests – What are your interests? Think about your hobbies, entertainment, classes, community involvement, shows you watch. If you like going to the movies, maybe a major in film is possible. If your hobby is shopping, consider majoring in business, sales, or retail management. Be careful, though. You might say you enjoy cooking or computer programing, but if you only do those things occasionally, it might not be a real interest.

Study Others – Whom do you see that you admire? Maybe it’s a teacher or coach. Would you want to go into education or sports management? Do you admire your parent(s)? What do they do, and do they enjoy it? Maybe your mother is a dental hygienist. Might you want to do the same thing or become a dentist or design dental equipment or become a nurse?

Look at Your Academic Abilities – Do you like science and math? Then publishing after majoring in English might not be for you. If you like your French class, should you be an interpreter or go into foreign investment management? What if you like all your subjects? Then look at the one you do your best in or do not have to struggle to do well in. If that’s history, would you want to become a Mideast analyst? You could also major in Arabic.

Look at Your Soft Skills – Soft skills include interpersonal relationships, ability to listen, ability to lead and mediate, problem solving…. They are skills that don’t fit into a course (or major) title. But, if you are a problem solver, you might want to major in engineering or architecture. If you are empathic, think about sociology or public policy. If you meet people easily and like speaking before groups, consider majoring in political science or going into law.

Look at Job Websites – Different sites provide you job listings and descriptions as well as salaries. Looking at such sites might give you ideas for majors you would never think of. Look at sites like Glassdoor.com or MyPlan.com.

Majors may seem like they are limited to just a few basic areas, but in today’s world and at today’s schools, there is much more variety. Don’t’ be confused by the offerings, but think about what you want and take advantage of majoring in an area that meets your needs and will usher you into a rewarding future.

About the author

CB Experts

Content created by retired College Admissions consultants.