We’ve been getting emails from our blog readers recently asking about how to choose a major based on your personality type. And while it would be nice if choosing a major was as easy as taking a Buzzfeed quiz about what kind of potato you are, the reality is that your personality has little to no impact on what you should study in college.
We’ve long stood against the line of thinking that aims to put high schoolers into boxes—the forced dichotomy that suggests people are either STEM-focused or humanities-focused, but never both. We feel the same way about the stereotypes that suggest that all actors are outgoing, computer science kids are soft-spoken, and writers are sensitive. So, what does this mean? Major in whatever you want to major in!
With all of that being said, the writer of this email was likely looking for advice about choosing a major. For the record, you need to choose a major for your college application and write about what you plan to study with authority. But once you get into college, you can change course. We don’t suggest choosing a major to write about at random, because you need to genuinely enjoy the subject matter. But just to confirm, you’re allowed to change your mind once you get into college.
Keep reading for three few tips on how to choose a major:
Make a list of your favorite classes that you’ve taken thus far in high school. Rather just writing down a class name, include what you liked about the class. Was it the readings? The science experiments? Analytical skills? Use this running list to keep track of the things you enjoy.
Make a list of the classes that you’ve taken that you didn’t like. When the time comes to research college majors, the lists are going to be very long. Like, really long. It’s going to be overwhelming to look through every single offering, especially when it’s highly unlikely that you’ll be open to studying literally every single major that’s offered. Let’s say your “No” list includes Spanish, Biology, and Chemistry. That’s three fewer majors that you have to research!
Make a list of the things you read, watch, and research during your free time. This is probably our favorite to read from our clients because it speaks to what they enjoy doing in their free time. What you do when no one is forcing to do it matter, a lot. You can study whatever you want in college – and while this can seem overwhelming, it’s truly a gift. It’s your chance your nerd out and create your own path, so tap into what you do for fun.
Once you’re done with your list of likes and dislikes, pull up the majors and minors list at a school that you’re interested in attending. Again, you don’t need to look through every single major, but you can skip over offerings that you know won’t be a good fit. Open up everything that’s even slightly interesting, do some digging, and start cataloging things that might work.
When working with TKG clients, we aim to ensure that every single school they apply to has at least three potential majors of interest. This gives you some wiggle room in the future!
Need help figuring out where to apply? Contact us here.