Dear high school seniors, when you sit in a cubicle for the next 50 years of your life for nine hours a day, what do you want to do? Think about it, and let yourself know in a few years.
The earlier one can declare a major the better. However, it is very important for students not to pigeon-hole themselves into majors before college even starts. Choosing a major is one of the most important decisions students can make, and they need to choose carefully. After all, it very well could be what you do every day for the next 50 years.
Carefully choosing a major does not entail typing “Economics Jobs” into Google or asking all of one’s relatives about the different college majors. Students need to see and live their majors before hastily choosing one because it’s Monday morning and the communications market is supposedly growing.
Students should enter college with an idea of what they want for in a career. It is important to have a major; however, when you’re 18, trying to figure out which video game you will enjoy more for the next month can be a tough choice.
Roughly 50% of college freshmen change their majors, according to MSNBC news.Therefore, freshman year of college is more about deciding a major than building repertoire within one’s major. We recommend that freshmen engage in very diverse learning programs, participating in many different extra-curricular activities and classes.
Students never know what could spark their interest in a specific major. Therefore, it’s important for them to keep an open mind. Students should get involved in different clubs and organizations and experience different classes to see what is out there. Who knows, maybe a certain professor’s chicken scratch on a chalkboard is more interesting to you than another professor’s.
Also, colleges offer a lot of classes that high schools do not. Students should participate in these classes to learn something different.
Freshman year is usually the only year in which students can have a broad learning experience. Once students get further along in their college programs, classes will become more specialized. Freshmen students have the rest of their lives to learn everything there is to know about one general field. That is why freshmen should learn a little bit about everything.
Your college degree should represent what you love to do and what you do best. It’s a decision that should not be taken lightly. Freshman year will help one decide exactly what that degree should be. Also, don’t panic if you’re done with your freshman year of college, and you do not have a major. There will always be time to find something you love. We encourage you to take that time.
