6 Myths About Choosing A College Major

Choosing a college major may seem easy, but in reality, it’s trying and confusing for most people. It may seem like everyone around you knows what they want to study, and you may feel like the only one who doesn’t. To tell you the truth, most people only pretend like they know. Here are 6 myths about choosing a college major.

1. It’s an easy decision

No matter what anyone tells you, choosing a college major is NOT an easy decision. Some people base their school choice on their major as I did, and some people choose a major that is offered at their school. Whichever way you choose to go about it, it’s a big decision. While you can always change, this choice will determine the classes you are enrolled in for your first semester and it will determine the type of people you meet first thing, as most of the introduction to college courses are major specific.

2. You’ll stick with what you originally chose

I actually researched this. Over 75% of college students change their major at least once while they’re in school. Once you start taking classes that have to do with your major, you’ll discover if it’s something you see yourself studying in the long run. Since we all have to take general education courses, you may come across something you’ve never even thought of studying and really enjoy it. Bottom line is, it’s okay to come into college with a major picked or even undecided, but it’s practically even more okay to change once or twice while you’re there. Most people won’t make too significant of a change and will have prerequisites mostly completed, but some may have to take another year or semester to finish up.

3. You should pick based on possible salary and not your interests

The fact of the matter is, you aren’t going to perform well in a field you are not interested in. We all want that $90,000 salary right out of school, but very few people have the skills and drive to do those jobs. If you love working with children, forget about the fact that teachers don’t make a huge salary, declare your major in education. The most important thing is that you enjoy what you’re studying and that your future career is going to make you happy and fuffilled.

4. ____ major is easy/hard

It’s time to get rid of the notion that certain majors are easy and certain majors are hard. Sure there are particular classes that are notoriously difficult and not every major is required to take them, but it doesn’t mean that these majors are the “hardest.” If you are a mathematically or science-inclined student, you will probably choose a STEM major. If you are creative you might choose interior design or fashion. Just because two of these majors are test-based and the other two are project-based doesn’t mean that one is harder than the other.

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5. You have to go into college with a major decided

Like I said before, a ton of students go into their first semester as a general studies major. You have to thake those general education classes anyways, so if you are really unsure about what you might want to do, you have plenty of time to take classes that may spark your interest. Many students won’t declare a major until their second year and others may change three times before they settle on their true calling. Basically, don’t stress about having the perfect major picked out when you apply to colleges in March, you have plenty of time.

6. Your major will be your career

This is the final and most important myth to discredit. Your major does not mean your career. Sure you want to use what you learned in your college courses, but a lot of people find jobs that are simply that, based on experiences. Some majors are more specific than others but a lot of them leave it up to the holder to interpret exactly how they want to use it moving forward.