icking a major can be one of the toughest decisions college students face. Some people will tell you that you should major in what you’re best at. Others will argue against sticking with what you know: after all, college presents a chance to explore all of your interests and take classes in areas you never even realized existed.
Without doubt, being required to commit to one subject can feel overwhelming. Most students have multiple academic loves in their lives, and narrowing down isn’t easy at all. Then there’s the matter of grades: there may be a few interesting Anthropology classes on offer, but if—as is likely the case—you’re new to the field, you might be concerned about tanking your GPA if it turns out that you and Anthropology don’t get along. Subjects you’ve studied in high school can understandably feel like a safer choice. But what if that Anthropology class awakes a crazy desire to do something else? You truly never know until you try, and a liberal arts education is the perfect time to start trying. In fact, around 50% – 70% of US college students change their majors at least once for just this reason. The first year at least of college should be about finding new interests you never before were able to explore. Take a class in Psychology, or Film Theory, or Chinese Art. There can be literally thousands of classes on offer each year, and it would be a waste of a valuable opportunity just to focus on those you’re already used to.
Another common reason for selecting a major is grad school. This can be perfectly legitimate: if a student wants to be a doctor then, yes, majoring in English will make the MCAT a little trickier. But apart from a small number of fields, like medicine, what you studied at the undergraduate level isn’t all that important. In fact, graduate departments often accept students who didn’t major in that particular field of study. There are business school students who majored in English and drama school students who majored in Sociology. It’s not so much about the major as it is the skills you learn and can transfer at the next stage, be it graduate school or employment.
So what’s a bad reason to pick a major? There are many, but perhaps the most common is cold, hard cash. That right—it’s probably not the best call to pick a field solely because you think it will make you money on graduation. Bear in mind that college generally means dedicating yourself to four years of studying—and potentially an entire career in a related field. If Economics looks real useful but after the first class you hate it, don’t take it. Try Physics or a language or theater. Find your interests and pursue them. Never feel pressured to have to take something.
Final Thoughts About College Majors
Ultimately, college is the one opportunity you’ll have in your academic career to experiment as freely as you can. Take risks, explore options and discover new passions you otherwise wouldn’t have known. Don’t feel like you need to have an idea of what to study as soon as you set foot on campus. Instead, take a moment to enjoy the freedom and excitement of remaining “undeclared.”
