On Monday, we published a blog post about the best college majors for introverts. Spoiler alert: your personality has absolutely nothing to do with what you study in college! For arguments sake, let’s say that you truly identify as being a very extroverted person. At best, this might influence the kinds of schools that you apply to. You might be looking to attend a big, fun, Greek life-loving college. But what you study? That’s entirely up to you. Keep reading for our tips on how to find the right major:
8 Tips for Choosing a Major:
Pick something that aligns well with the courses that you’ve done well in during high school. If you’ve been getting C’s in all of your STEM courses, it won’t make any sense if you apply as a Biology major.
Have some fun with the research process! And by that we mean, actually set aside some time to do it. Get comfy, grab a cup of tea, turn off Netflix – and remain open to the wide variety of possibilities.
With that being said, trust your gut. If you don’t like learning languages, you don’t need to spend an hour looking through linguistics catalogues.
Look beyond the majors and minors program websites. Google things like “jobs for Economics majors” and “best majors for college students who want to go to law school.” We’re firm believers in the idea that you should study what you truly enjoy in college, and not necessarily try to back into a job, but it’s definitely exciting reading about paths that have worked out for others in the past.
If your parent has been pushing you to explore say, Business, it’s probably because they’ve been picking up on clues throughout your life that you might be the next big entrepreneur. Do them, and yourself, a favor by checking out what they suggest. Don’t let your rebellious stage prevent you from considering ideas from others!
On the flip side, don’t blindly follow all of the advice that you get. Your encouraging English teacher might mean it when they say you’re destined to be a writer, but ultimately, it’s you that’s going to college. You need to be genuinely interested in what you study.
Keep in mind that most people change careers countless times throughout their lives. You don’t need to have every single thing figured out at 17. In fact, you shouldn’t. Think of choosing a major as the next step in your life, and not the decision that decides, well, everything.
Before you start writing about your college major in your applications, make sure that you’ve done extensive research on the course offerings. Strong supplements explain not just why you want to study Biology, but what you’ve already accomplished in the field. We’re all for students wanting to branch out and take on new disciplines, but when it comes to writing your supplements, you need to be familiar with the subject matter of the major that you choose.
We think it’s important to manage expectations from the beginning. Full disclosure, you’re going to be reading through a lot of programs that you find pretty boring. This is a normal part of the process! You’ll know you’ve found the right contenders when you’re actually enjoying reading through the curriculum, and you’re excited by the thought of eventually enrolling in the courses that are being offered.
Get in touch with us here if you’re not sure how to start.