How to Choose a Major
Being undeclared or undecided about your major is not an unusual thing for a college student. More than likely, at least one third of your fellow students are also undecided. In addition, most of the students who claim to be decided will change their mind at least once. This means you are not alone.
Some Important Things to Remember Before You Begin
• You are NOT choosing what you have to do for the rest of your life!!!!
• There is no “perfect” or “right” major…just some that you'll be more satisfied with than others.
• There is no magical test that will tell you what you should choose.
• Many graduates claim to have jobs that are NOT directly related to their major, which means you can major in just about anything, and in most cases, go into just about any career as a result.
• Your academic advisor will not tell you in what to major, that is your decision. S/he will help you through the exploration and decision-making process if you seek out her/his assistance. Get to know your advisor well, and meet with her/him often.
Here are some steps you can take toward exploring and chosing majors.
Step 1. Research, explore, and collect information about yourself, majors and minors, and careers.
Self assessment is about getting to know yourself and understanding your interests, skills and values. It is the beginning of the journey to find a major or career that fits you best. At times it may be challenging, but it is the most important step in the entire process.
Click here for some activities for students who are Exploring Majors. These activities can assist you with self assessment. After reflecting on these activities and working through Step 1, you might schedule an “exploring majors” visit with your academic advisor to discuss what you have learned about yourself. Although there is no assessment that will determine which is the best major or career for you, you will be able to make a good choice once you have reviewed many of the activities and resources suggested on this website. Remember, the Career Center also has a variety of activities to help you explore your interests and values.
Here are some resources you might consider using:
Explore Advising Themes. Review CSU majors sorted according to interest areas.
Talk with a CASA Advisor. Talk to a CASA Advisor about possible majors. The Center for Advising and Student Achievement is an academic advising resource for students who are undecided about a major.
Review Academic and Career Horizons. Learn more about each major with this important and easy to access resource containing a full description of each major, a list of personal skills and characteristics, a list of potential careers, and the location of additional campus resources.
Read about majors. Visit the General Catalog which contains a program of study (courses required for the major) for every major, and a list of every minor and interdisciplinary studies program offered at Colorado State University.
Check out departmental websites. Contact departments for specific information about majors, internships and potential careers.
Talk to Key Advisors. Talk to a Key Advisor about majors. Once you have narrowed your choices and are ready to explore specific majors in greater depth, visit with a Key Advisor.
Try Exploratory Courses. Try taking exploratory courses in a major of interest. Start with lower division (100 to 200 level) introductory courses in a subject of interest.
Contact The Career Center. The Career Center is your ultimate campus career resource. If you need help, the Career Center's professional career counselors can give you the support you need.
Work through a list of self-assessment activities on a very comprehensive and informative career website.
Step 2.
Make and Implement Your Decision and Put Together a Plan of Action
Once you have completed your self assessments and thoroughly researched your major and career options, you should be able to narrow your choices and establish your major and career.
Here are some suggestions to help you make this complex and important decision:
Know what is important to you and what you want to accomplish. By now, you should have a good idea of what you like, what you envision yourself doing, and what options are available. If not, then continue to explore and research your options.
An important consideration is how the major, its curriculum, the classes, the content, and its overall environment feel to you.
Consider listing the positives and negatives of each option. Assess the risks and costs as well as the benefits. Compare the options. Look for the tradeoffs among those options.
Develop a plan of action on how you will achieve your goal. Once you select a major you should plan how you will finish your degree program. See an advisor in your major department and plan your course schedules from now until you graduate.
Don't forget to plan how you will gain the experience and contacts to enter into the field that you have chosen. To gain experience, start with internships or summer jobs related to your field no later than your junior year. Contact your department and the Career Center for those networking opportunities that can help you.
Step 3. Evaluate your choice.
Now that you've made a choice and have spent some time in your major, it does not always mean that you've made a choice you won’t or can't change. You may wonder whether you made a good choice. Here are some issues to consider at this point:
How does your major feel to you? Do you enjoy what you are doing in college? Do you like your courses? Do you like your professors? Are you motivated to put in the necessary time to achieve your goals? Do you go to class, finish your homework, and study for exams? Are you earning the grades that you expect or desire, particularly in your major coursework? You should be motivated to put in the time and effort necessary to earn the grades that you want and to achieve your career goals.
If you think that something about your choice is not satisfying then ask yourself with what in particular you feel uncomfortable. If you do not like what you are doing or your major courses, or if you are not motivated, talk to your advisor about your misgivings. Does your chosen major match your vision of the future?