Different Minds, Different Majors: How to Pick the Best Major for You

When it comes time to choose a major, the task may seem daunting. With so many different options available, deciding which one to best invest your time, energy, money, and mind to is difficult. There are some ways to help ensure that you best match your mind with your major of choice.

Determine Your Motivation

A college major is a significant step on the road to a real, potentially life-long career, so determine what motivates you as you choose. Common motivators are prosperity, security, flexibility, altruism, excitement, challenge, and comfort. What you seek to gain from a career should be carefully considered when thinking about a major. If you want a high paying job with great security you will likely choose differently than someone seeking an ever-changing career charged with excitement.

While determining what motivates you, it is important that you fully consider what you desire and not what those around you hope to see you achieve. It is certainly not a bad idea to rise to the expectations of others, but in the end you are the only one that can make the right decision for you.

Do Your Research

College has never had so many different faces. It is becoming more and more accessible to people all over the world. As you choose a major, think through what type of educational program you desire and what kind of college experience you want to have. Some programs are impossible to complete away from campus, while others can be done nearly entirely online, such as with an online engineering college.

Whatever route you choose will have benefits and drawbacks, so consider carefully. Online education, for example, makes contact with some of the most brilliant minds all over the world available to you through your computer. It requires strong self-motivation though, so someone that needs socialization and frequent encouragement from others to do their best work may not thrive.

Give Yourself Time

It seems college majors are talked about earlier and earlier, with young teenagers feeling pressure to declare what they want to major in. Allow yourself time to choose a major. As many as 80% of college students change their major at least once along the way. You will grow and learn throughout the course of your education, so change may happen.

One way to help avoid multiple changes in your major is to wait a little bit to declare. If you are unsure of what you want to do, there is nothing wrong with beginning as "undeclared." It is best not to wait too long, but taking a semester to complete some basic humanities while you figure it out is not a terrible thing.

Ask Questions

Don't be afraid to ask questions about the field you may be interested in. Ask your college recruiters or admissions officers. Seek opinions of current students and reach out to people currently in the field you are considering. Taking this initiative and doing thorough research will help you choose a major confidently without overlooking potentially significant considerations.

As you embark on your college journey, take time and do your research to help ensure that you choose a major that best fits your personality, your talents, and your life goals.