Did you struggle to decide on a major? My kid can’t decide

[Anonymous]

My child is nearing the end of freshmen year and can’t decide on a major. They are leaning toward something within STEM and the sooner the decide, the better for scheduling. I can’t argue with them because I wish I could’ve majored in everything.

[Anonymous]

Has the career office offered them any kind of vocational testing?

That compares their tastes/talents to people who are successful in different fields.

[Anonymous]

Pick the major your child will do the best in and enjoy the most.

The rest will work itself out.

This is especially true for an eloquent kid who is good at expressing themselves.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous[b wrote:]Pick the major your child will do the best in and enjoy the most.[/b]

The rest will work itself out.

This is especially true for an eloquent kid who is good at expressing themselves.

That's like saying "pick the all the right answers, you will score high"

[Anonymous]

Yes, changed my major several times. Ended up with a dual major and maybe 20 more hours than required to graduate. The student hopefully has an advisor and knows some older students that are Juniors or Seniors to ask questions. If planning for graduate school, see what prerequisites are needed to help determine direction. As others have said, school is much more interesting if the major is in a field of interest. But also want to make sure there is a clear trajectory for a job after graduation. Maybe consider summer jobs / internships to help solidify if a preference or eliminate that direction based on that experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous[b wrote:]Pick the major your child will do the best in and enjoy the most.[/b]

The rest will work itself out.

This is especially true for an eloquent kid who is good at expressing themselves.

That's like saying "pick the all the right answers, you will score high"

Not really. You can research what the requirements are for several majors, and how you can fulfill them with certain classes over others, choosing professors who are interesting, not impossible graders, etc. You can think about what classes you took freshman year and soph year through the core (especially interdisciplinary ones) and think about what aspects you really enjoyed. Expository writing? When you dissected the political significance of a painting? A chem lab you did?
Like anything else, it requires effort. I'm also making the point that ROI should not be a major factor IMO.

[Anonymous]

Have them start by searching job listings.
What looks interesting to them? What degree is required to apply?


my kid majored in Econ and has found that so many jobs will hire Econ majors. Almost everything in the business world, consulting, data science, etc. He is doing healthcare consulting.