A Step-by-Step Guide on Choosing Your University Major

Choosing your major can feel overwhelming.

It may feel like the rest of your life rests on this one decision, and you may find it tough to pick one field to study for the next 2-4 (or even more) years of your life! I did find selecting my major to be stressful, but now I'm pretty satisfied with my choice. Here is a step-by-step guide on choosing your university major!

1. Brainstorm

What do you like? What do you find interesting? Think about what you would like in a major, and write it down somewhere.

Then, think about fields of study or careers that align with your interests. For me, I wanted to study something that would allow me to be creative, so that was something I really valued in a major.

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2. Research Majors

Look at the various majors that colleges and universities have, and see what aligns with your interests, which would be something that you want to study! There are several majors that I didn't even know existed until I looked through college websites. You may end up finding a major you haven't heard about before, but is something that you really want to study! Make a list of majors that interest you!

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3. Research Future Prospects

Make sure to research the job market and careers for majors that you're interested in. Would you be interested in the kinds of jobs that the major would get you? Make sure to consider that as well! You could also look through LinkedIn pages of people who pursued the major that you're interested in to see what kinds of jobs people with that major!

Narrow down what majors you want to do based on your findings. If you end up finding adjacent majors that seem to have careers you're more interested in, make sure to keep those majors in mind as well.

4. Talk With Those Who Pursued Majors That You're Interested In

Talk to people who pursued the majors that you're currently interested in. You could try reaching out to people who formerly went to your school and pursued the major that you're interested in. You could also ask family and friends if they know anyone who's done the major before, and you could even reach out to people currently pursuing the major as well! Once you find someone to reach out to, ask them questions about the major that will help you narrow down your choices. Some questions that you could ask include:

• Why did you select this major?
• Are you happy with this selection?
• Who would you recommend this major to?
• What's your take on [a similar major that you may also be interested in]?
• Would you recommend people to pursue this major?

Use the responses from these questions to narrow down the majors that you're interested in, and if you end up interviewing people in different majors, compare the responses. Think about what their experiences have been, and you believe your experiences will be like with the major. Use the responses in conjunction with the research that you did earlier to narrow your choices down to 2-3 majors.

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5. Participate In Major-Related Extracurriculars

Now that you're down to only a few majors, explore them by doing extracurriculars related to the major! You could join clubs related to the major, do major-related volunteering, do mentorships and summer programs, or even find internships! For example, if you're interested in Biology, you could attend a biology-related summer camp and join a biology club at your school!

If you're stuck between a few majors, try one or two extracurriculars relating to each one. For example, if you're interested in Art, Government, and Psychology, you could join an art club, do a government-related mentorship, and do psychology-related research!

Think about how these experiences go, and think about whether you still want to pursue the major or not. If you're still interested in the major, that's great! Keep exploring the major and fields related to it! If not, try to research other majors that may interest you and try some extracurriculars in those majors as well, and see what you end up liking better!

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Conclusion

Choosing a major may seem overwhelming, but these steps will hopefully make it a bit easier to decide! Also, keep the following things in mind:

• You don't have to apply for the same major at every college. For example, if there's one college with a major you really want to do but it's the only college with such a major, you could apply to that major for that college specifically and apply to related majors for other colleges.
• There are also some colleges that allow you to apply undeclared or without having any major in mind. This could allow you to continue exploring various fields and majors that you're interested in!
• Some colleges also have majors or programs that allow you to explore two different fields as a part of a single major or program. If you find one that interests you, look into it!
• You can always also minor in something else that you're interested in. For example, you can pursue a business-related minor even if your major isn't business-related.
• You can also double major if your university permits it. I've seen many different double major combinations, and I've even seen people triple major!
• At many colleges, you can also switch your major. If you end up not liking your major, you could explore other majors and transfer into that major instead!

Remember, it may feel really difficult to choose a major, but exploring majors and deciding what's right for you can be very helpful, and there are always other ways to explore other majors that you're interested in as well