Choosing a Major in College

Registering for ClassesAcademic Advising
Think ForwardUse Caution
It is commonplace for incoming freshmen to chooseYou may find it worthwhile to visit academic advising,
the easiest classes possible, or the classes that arebut in my experience it is a waste of time. Unless
not early in the morning. In terms of deciding whichyou have a relationship with your adviser and he/she
major is right for you, this is counterproductive. Ifreally knows you, an academic adviser knows less
you are undeclared, the best bet is to search throughabout what you want than you do. My advise:
the entire listing of available classes and make a listconsult the ones who know you the best - your
of all the classes that interest you. You may befriends and family. These are the people that can
surprised the various departments that offer a classhelp guide you when you are unsure, because they
that interests you. You should keep in mind yourknow you.
'general education' requirements. If a class does notOnce you have narrowed down your options to a
meet a general education requirement, but reallyfew majors, I suggest setting up a meeting with a
piques your interest, then take it!professor in the chosen departments. Who knows
Exploration: Registering for Classes Continuedwhat it is like to be a biology major more than a
Take Upper Level Classesformer biology major who is a current biology
Most students interested in a sociology will take introprofessor?
to sociology in order to get an idea of what its likeTrust Yourself
to be a sociology major. I took a different route: IYou Are in College for a Reason
took a 300 level sociology class my second semesterRemember this: you got into college for a reason.
of college. I felt a little behind in the first week, butYou are smart enough to figure out which major fits
since there was no prerequisite for the class, Iyou - all it takes is some exploring. It took me two
caught up quickly. This gave me a real taste of whatfull years of school to decide which major was best
it would be like to study sociology seriously. This ideafor me, and I did quite a bit of freaking out during
came from a friend of mine who was a senior at thethe process. If you trust yourself and take some
time, which brings me to my next point. Consult yourrisks, like taking an upper level class as a freshman,
friends who are upperclassmen - they have alreadyyou will figure it out with little deliberation.
been through this decision-making process!