From the moment your parents send you off to pre-k or kindergarten, you have been preparing for this moment.
You are most likely a senior in high school thinking about prom, hanging out with your friends, and enjoying the last months of your high school life.
You may also be a junior or sophomore, excited about the prospect of heading to college and gaining independence from your parents, and learning new and exciting things.
Whatever the case may be, when you begin having serious considerations about what you want to be when you finish studying, it’s time to learn: how to pick a major.
Selecting a major is one of the most important decisions you will make. Yet it’s not often discussed in great detail until your senior year, which makes it all the more difficult.
While you can always change your major at some point, you should try to get it right the first time.
Deciding on a major and studying it the entire time you are in college will give you advantages, such as:
- Graduating earlier
- Building better relationships with your professors
- Building better relationships with your classmates
- Doing an internship earlier
You can even start planning out your career once you start studying. You should have access to an academic advisor that can help you create a resume using tools like resume templates, and give you useful tips.
In this guide, you’ll find out how to choose the right major that aligns with your interests and skills so that you can develop a lifelong career path or explore new fields with confidence.
Consider What You Are Passionate About
The first step in answering the question, “what major should I choose?”, will be to think about what you’re passionate about.
A common mistake is thinking about how much money you are going to make, before really exploring your academic passions.
You can think about the financial side of things later on.
When choosing your major, consider these ideas:
- What are your hobbies?
- What are your favorite classes?
- Are there TV or YouTube channels that interest you?
Think about your hobbies
While it’s important to research and learn about the different fields of study, you should also pay attention to what interests you outside of school.
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
Do you like to read classic novels or watch crime mysteries on Netflix?
Do you love to blog or record videos in your free time?
What about watching YouTube channels related to history, science, engineering, or another field of academics?
You may also be interested in other cultures and languages.
Take note of what excites or inspires this response from yourself: that is an indicator of the type of career or major field of study that could be a good fit for what interests YOU personally.
Consider your values
In addition, it is also essential to understand what motivates you and what drives you to do the things that you do. What are your values?
What are your core beliefs?
Many majors aren’t centered around science or numbers. You can study something that makes improvements to people’s daily lives.
If you’re motivated by politics, then studying a major in political science or sociology might be your best choice.
Once you have identified what interests you and what motivates you, it is important to begin exploring ways to incorporate these into your life.
For example, if you enjoy art classes in high school but do not know how they could apply to a career path, research careers that may involve drawing or painting.
Some artistic majors include:
- Graphic Design
- Digital Arts
- Fine Arts
- Theater Arts
- Cinematography
Which School Subjects Do You Get the Best Grades in?
In all of your classes, you have exams at some time or another. In certain classes, you go into those exams less nervous than others, no matter how much or how little you study.
If you’re having trouble deciding on your major or figuring out what it is you’d like to do once you finish college, have a look at your report card.
The subjects you get the highest grades in are a clear indication of what you’re most passionate about or what you’re skilled at.
Once you know what you’re best at, you can do a few things to figure out if you’d like to major in that field or a related one, such as:
- Speak with your guidance counselor
- Speak with current college students
- Speak to professionals in those fields
By asking questions and gathering info, you may find out that your good grades mean you have a passion for these subjects.
It’s also a huge advantage to major in something you’re good at.
If you have a good number of high marks in your transcripts, this shows that you are capable of doing well in college.
Often college coursework is not easy, and if you try to study a major but have a lot of trouble passing classes or understanding the material, it will not end well.
If you think you like engineering but constantly get D’s in math, then try to think of another subject you both like and see the grades to match.
Pro-tip: You can try doing an internship during your summer vacation.
Internships can be a fantastic learning experience, and you can see if you’re passionate about what you’d like to major in when you get to college.
Do Research on a Field of Study and Job Opportunities
While you’re still in high school, you can use your time wisely by thoroughly researching the majors you are considering.
To come to a decision, there are a few specific areas that you should look into. What majors you research shouldn’t only be confined to information about what you’ll learn during college.
Finding out if a degree in the fields of study you are interested in can lead to a high-paying job is also important and should factor into your decision.
For example, if you’re good at math, you may prefer to study a business major over an accounting major because there is more earning potential in that area.
Look into the following topics to see which majors give you good job opportunities.
Average salaries in the field
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has much information on this topic, including how certain majors compare to others and what kinds of jobs provide the highest salaries.
Graduating in one major may lead to higher-paying positions than another or a better career path. Consider the majors you may study and see what positions they could lead to and the potential salaries.
Employment trends
Employment trends for future years, as well as where jobs are located geographically (or even nationally). This can help you narrow down potential fields if you’re thinking about relocating or moving to a new type of work after graduation.
If you’re worried about sticking close to home, check out the careers in your area, and what you should study to work in that type of career.
If you are open to relocating, then you have more options to choose from.
Professional Skills
Have a look at a resume for a career you are interested in and see what skills are needed for the position.
If you feel like the skills apply to you, then you may want to study a major that improves on them while studying for your bachelor’s degree.
You can use the skill section of a resume as a way to choose your degree and the classes you take, or if you possibly need to take any outside tutoring.
College is a fun time, but remember it is also the best time to prepare yourself for your future career.
Alternatives to your first choice
Keep your mind open to alternative majors, just in case the major you’re most interested in doesn’t lead to the paycheck that you’d like to receive.
There are probably different majors that use similar skills and knowledge of what you are interested in, but may lead to better job opportunities.
Research the Colleges that Specialize in Your Potential Major
If you’ve followed the previous steps and thoroughly taken the time to research and soul search, by now you surely have your major (or at least a top 2 or 3) in mind!
Congratulations!
This is where things get interesting and fun.
It’s time to look into the colleges that specialize in the major of your choice.
You’re about to start seeing images of cool college campuses and imagining yourself cheering on the football team on Saturdays.
Before that can happen, you still have a bit of research to do.
The college you choose should have a good reputation in your chosen field. While looking at the campus, parties, and sports teams is fun, the classrooms, libraries, and labs, will be the most important areas for you.
Here are some things to consider when researching colleges and universities:
- Check how many classes and extracurricular activities they offer related to your major.
- Look at their record of placing graduates in their chosen field.
- See if they offer scholarships specifically for students who want to study your major, or if any other scholarship opportunities might be available for those pursuing it as a career path (for example, National Merit Scholarships).
- Speak with advisors at different universities about what kinds of financial aid packages are available, and ask them about the percentage of students who receive these kinds of awards each year.
- Keep an open mind, and don’t obsess too much about one single school.
A mistake many high school seniors about to make the leap to college make is getting too obsessed with one school.
Yeah, it may be cool, but it may not have as many facilities for your major as others.
Price can also be a major factor. If you have straight A’s you’ll probably get some type of scholarship and the tuition may not be a huge problem.
However, if you’ll be paying straight from your (or your parent’s) pockets, you’ll have to compare the cost of tuition for each school.
Look into internships
Participating in an internship in college is a great way to add to the experience section of your resume.
The experience section is incredibly important when it comes time to look for a full-time job after you graduate.
Pro-tip: Try to avoid doing an internship close to exam time so you can fully concentrate on studying.
Most colleges won’t have any issues setting you up to do an internship. If the college you choose is near or in a large city, you may even be able to organize an internship on your own.
Speaking with your academic advisor, companies, and organizations will be key in finding you a valuable internship experience.
Go Over the Coursework
Now that you have an idea of what college you’ll be attending, it’s essential to realize what they expect of you and to know if you can handle it.
It’s also critical to know if the college will give you enough of a challenge and tools to succeed.
It’s crucial to make sure that the college or university you choose can accommodate your choice.
The following is what you should like when you’re determining if your college choice is right for you.
The classes you need to take
When you decide on a major, you’ll know the amount of credit you’ll need to graduate with a degree. You may find out that to get a degree you have to do a lot of work, to the point that it’s too much.
Luckily, the internet comes with websites that allow you to see past students’ opinions on classes and professors to know if you should take a certain course or not.
If you feel you already have too much on your plate, it will be best to leave a difficult course for another semester.
Check out the research facilities
This should be done on your first visit to the school.
Research facilities available on campus—are they adequate? If not, it may make you think twice about attending that particular college.
You can always talk to academic advisors and see if the school is planning any upgrades soon.
One of the best things you can do when deciding on a college is to talk to current students, faculty members, and alumni.
At first glance, you may think the school’s labs and facilities are not enough, but the current and past studies may be satisfied with the facilities.
Think About What You’d Like to Minor in
Deciding on a minor isn’t exactly necessary, but it can be a really good idea for various reasons.
A minor can be a great backup if in the end you feel the major you chose wasn’t right for you.
Consider the following when choosing a minor:
- Don’t worry about a minor until you have decided on a major.
- A minor can help you focus your coursework. You might enjoy it enough to make it your career, or at least give it a shot after graduation.
- A minor can make you more competitive for graduate school, especially if you are accepted into one of the top programs in your field as an undergrad (and therefore are considered for admission into that grad program).
- Experience with your minor will make you more marketable once applying for jobs.
Apart from studying a minor, you could also study a double major if you feel you can handle it. Having two different fields of study look fantastic on a resume and cover letter.
It’s worth considering double majors if:
- Your preferred choice leads to fewer economic opportunities.
- You can’t decide between two majors.
- You want to study different fields and are up for the challenge.
Studying two majors can lead to a lot of advantages down the line, but don’t overload yourself.
Also, try not to pick majors that are completely different from one another, they can be different, but one should complement the other.
Choosing a major and ultimately a college is a decision that you need to make with your head and heart.
Don’t let others pressure you into deciding a major because they think it will be “safe” or lucrative.
You should choose what makes sense for you, and that could mean anything from studying physics to becoming a fashion designer!
