Q: (Initially posted November 29, 2004) FROM STUDENT MEMBER JOSIE K. GA
Is there any good advice you can give me about choosing my major in college? I am a junior in high school and currently have no idea as to
what I want to major in, so I am open to all suggestions. Thanks in
advance!

A: FROM MENTOR MARSHA SEGEBARTH IN INDIANA
Hi, Josie! I expect you are in the majority of young women your age! Most high school juniors don't have a clear handle on what they want to be "when they grow up". Often, college students are really not sure when they begin! My advice to you is to consider what you really like doing. What courses have you most enjoyed in high school? Have they been more science oriented, math oriented, history, sociology, psychology, etc. Once you determine the courses you have enjoyed the most, start thinking about (or speak with a career counselor about) what careers these courses most contribute to. Obviously, if you have not enjoyed science at all you will not be happy as a physician or a nurse. If you haven't enjoyed math, you probably won't enjoy the life of an engineer or a physicist. Don't panic if you don't know exactly where you want to end up when you begin college. The first year is pretty much given to basics that nearly everyone has to have. It would be very helpful, however, if you had an idea about which area you will ultimately choose. For example, if you think you want to go the science route, there likely will be beginning biology courses required for science majors that are different from those for non science majors. As you go through your college years you will find some areas that you really like and others you dread taking courses in. I think this is part of the advantage of a good liberal arts educations. You are exposed (maybe even forced into) to many different areas and disciplines while you are deciding which area you really are most comfortable in. As you progress through your education you might even discover new areas you like or particular careers you were not aware of. Keep in mind, too, that many college students begin college believing they know exactly what they want to be only to discover different avenues once they get into their coursework. A major is certainly not set in stone your freshman year. That is why we often write the major in pencil on your advising form :-). My youngest daughter is very good in math and is also very creative. I thought architecture might be a good fit for her. She applied to the program, took a day-long test, and was admitted to the early admission program which meant she began architecture courses her first semester rather than get the general education basics out of the way and begin architecture courses later. Although she did well in her courses, she realized by the end of that semester that she really did not want to be an architect. She didn't want to design structures, she wanted to use more of her creative than analytical talents. She is now a graphic design major and I think she will stick with that. She will still be using her gifts, but in a different way. The important thing is that she tried architecture, decided it wasn't really for her, and is now trying something she feels is a better fit. Good luck!
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A: FROM MENTOR BRENDA WOLFE IN CO
Josie:
It is not crucial that you decide before your senoir year what major you want. When attending college, as a freshman and some sophomore the core classes are the same for everyone. You really don't have to declare a major until your junior year in college. I knew that I wanted to do engineering, so I went to an all engineering school - small campus, because that was more important. I went in as a Math major and came out as a Chemical Eng with an environmental sciences minor.
Just because you pick something now, doesn't mean you can't change later.
I ended up picking Chemical Engineering because it offered me a variety of jobs and industries that I could go in to. Try to find a major that does not limit your choices.

My suggestions for good degrees in the future which will be needed are:
Environmental Engineering
Bio-technologies.

Take a look at the part of the country that you want to live in and find out what the big industries are there. Find out what type of people they hire.

Hope this helps -