How To Choose a College Major
Get Ahead by LinkedIn News
We talk about leveling up, about geting ahead in your career and about excelling where you are right now.
Choosing a college major may be as simple as choosing what your parents did — or didn’t. Or doing what you’ve dreamed about since you were a kid. But what if you just aren’t sure? Well, it’s never too early to start “trying on different careers,” and there are assessments, college resources and mentors to guide you along the way.??
By Helen Harris
Engineering.
Data science.?
Cybersecurity.?
Hospitality management.
Computer science.
Financial technology (FinTech).?
Health informatics.
Will you choose one of the above six college majors? They are excellent choices with a solid career path, and the top-six majors this year. Perhaps, you’ve always leaned toward the creative side, but you still don’t know exactly what direction to take.?
Take a breath. Whatever point you’re at — whether you're still in high school or a sophomore in college — there are steps you can take to choose a college major.?
When Should You Start Thinking About Your College Major??
Patrick Herndon, certified college advisor/principal at HB Speciality Solutions, states that most high school students (and parents) begin to seriously focus on colleges and majors during the junior year. However, he urges in order to get a better idea of your strengths and ideal college, the “college thought process” should begin as early as freshman year.????
Herndon notes that this gives a student time to consider an array of possibilities and the best universities for those options.?
U.S. News supports Herndon’s advice, citing the earlier students get started the better. This allows time for visiting college campuses, registering for advanced classes, participating in extracurricular activities, and requesting recommendation letters.
The source additionally notes that planning ahead is particularly important for students interested in specific college programs, such as the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC).?
"If you're planning to or even thinking about applying to college, it never hurts to start early," said Greer Davis, associate director of strategic communications for the office of admissions and recruitment at the University of Wisconsin—Madison, told U.S. News. "Think about what you might be interested in and get a sense of what colleges might be looking for, so that you can kind of choose classes accordingly and try different things."
One last benefit of starting early? Trying on different careers for size.?
Herndon encourages students to reach out to professionals who are in careers they could potentially see themselves in.?
For example, if you see yourself being a radio personality, ask if you can shadow that person in the afternoons after school. Or if you’re hoping to go pre-med, you could ask your primary care doctor some questions about their day-to-day work, what their college years were like and see if that’s something you really want to do.?
What Major To Choose if You’re Unsure – And Why?
Let’s say you’re all settled on your college campus your freshman year, and you still don’t know just what you want to major in.?
The good news is that you still have a solid year to figure out what direction you want your core college studies to lean toward, as you don’t officially have to declare your major until sophomore year.?
The Princeton Review notes that some colleges might ask you to list your expected major on your college application, but "undecided" is usually an option.?
领英推荐
“If you are interested in a major that requires a lot of classes, or classes that are limited to students in that major, then it is better to declare early,” reported Princeton Review. “Some majors demand a strictly regimented order of courses, and if you fall behind, you may have to extend your college stay by a semester or two.”?
Additionally, the source notes that if you intend to earn a professional degree (like an MD) after college, you will probably need certain prerequisites under your belt. However, many future doctors major in non-science-related fields.
That’s why even if you’re unsure of your major (but you are considering pre-med, law or a couple of other options), Herndon always suggests business as a good place to start.??
“... because no matter what you do in life, a solid foundation of business acumen will help you — regardless of if you’re an artsy person or leaning toward the sciences,” said Herndon.?
And a few more of the many versatile majors to consider include the following:?
And while choosing a major may seem like a critical stepping stone to your college career, LinkedIn career expert Blair Heitmann offers some advice stating that in many cases today, your major no longer dictates your career trajectory.
“We are seeing that liberal arts majors like psychology, sociology and economics propel grads to take on roles ranging from behavioral therapist to marketing specialists,” said Heitmann.
MarketWatch raises the point that employers are struggling to find talent and are willing to train people with promise.?
So if you have solid transferable skills, a desire to learn and want to get into a certain career, it is likely that you’ll be able to with a little time and hard skill development.?
How To Get a Clearer Idea of Your Strengths Before College?
To discover what you want to major in or even where your interests lie, you will need to tap into the resources available on your college campus, as well as your own ingenuity.?
?Kareem Calliste, career coach, academic advisor, counselor and higher education professional, explains that even for those freshmen on campus with a clear idea of what they want to do — it never hurts to take career assessments to evaluate strengths.?
“In the freshman year of college, you still have that opportunity where you can kind of explore a little bit,” said Calliste. “So I still think it's important for them to do those assessments before they delve deep into their major.”?
For example, you could be a college freshman confident that you want to major in political science. However, once you take a look at your skills and strengths based on an assessment, you may realize that you’re well-suited for sociology and want to explore that as an option.?
By taking an assessment and exploring another major early on, you can potentially avoid wasting money and time when switching majors in your junior or senior year.?
Calliste also provides the following resources for students to help identify their strengths to subsequently help identify their ideal major:?
Discovering your strengths through assessments and exploring your career options early are great starting points to uncovering your best college major options. But above all, both Herndon and Calliste recommend that you not hesitate to reach out to your high school’s guidance counselor or college’s career services office for assistance — at any point.?
“The biggest thing I would recommend is for students to take it upon themselves to seek out the career services office early,” said Herndon. “If you get a head start on that, begin the conversation, start processing what you’re interested in and doing those assessments available to you, you’ll already have a head start.”
Top Takeaways
How To Choose a College Major