Your parents are the major decision-makers on matters to do with where you’ll go for elementary, middle, and high school. However, when it comes to where you’ll take in college, you are the main decision-maker. So how do you determine what to study in college?
Let’s dive in. right away.
Nonetheless, just because you have settled on the college to apply to doesn’t mean the rest will fall in place. You have to choose a college major and this is one of the most important decisions you’ll ever have to make.
If you are reading this it means you may be having some difficulties in making a decision.
You may have friends who don’t have to be asked twice about what they want to major in, but the truth is that many people struggle with this decision.
Thus, you are not alone. Here are helpful tips if you have been wondering, what should I study in college?
What Should I Study In College?
In determining what to study in college consider the following aspects.
- Know your passions
- Pick your top three passions
- Get an academic adviser
- Research
- Get closer to your selected field
- Be patient
Know Your Passions
Understanding yourself and your passions will make this decision quite easy to make. List down the things you are good at and what you enjoy doing.
Also make a list of the skills and qualities you already possess or the ones you want to develop. After doing that, check out the subjects that go well with that.
If there are subjects you never liked in high school and you are not interested in studying in the future you can cross them off.
However, distinguish between the subjects you don’t like because of how they were taught or the bad experiences you had with the teachers and those you simply don’t like.
If you could love the subject when better taught or you are accorded more support from your professor don’t cross it off the list just yet.
Pick Your Top Three Passions
Rank the passions and pick the first one as your major. At this point you should have an idea of what your dream job should look like.
If you are passionate about helping people you can choose majors that will have you working directly with people.
These could be human resources, public relations, or even government positions that help the less fortunate. However, remember that you have to make a livelihood through your work.
Therefore, consider how the majors will fit into your life and future. You’ll be happier doing a job you love that pays you enough to cover your bills and save some amount.
Giving your all to your job and struggling to make ends meet might leave you frustrated and you may end up hating the job no matter how passionate you were when you were starting off.
Get An Academic Adviser
You don’t wake up one morning and have a clear picture of your passion. Thus, don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. An academic adviser or your professors are some of the best people you can go to for help.
However, consider going to family members and friends as well. People who have known you for a while and know what you are good at and what you are capable of can give you great pointers to decide on what to study in college.
Nonetheless, don’t decide on what to study just because you want to please someone else. There are online career tests you can take to determine what you should study in college.
You won’t be required to choose a major the moment you join college but the earlier you start to explore your options the more prepared you will be once the time comes.
Research
There are so many things you can study in college than you can possibly imagine. It’s sad that most people only know about popular degrees. You don’t have to conform if that is not your plan.
Spend time researching the degrees you can pursue that are not popular as long as that is where your passion lies. With the internet, there is no limit as far as research goes.
As long as you are sure of what you want to study you will find lots of people who will support and help you on your path.
Thus, don’t hesitate. You’ll probably be a teenager when joining college which is the perfect age to explore whatever you want.
You don’t want to regret your decision on graduation day when you already have a mound of student loans to repay. You better be repaying a loan that helped you get where you wanted in life.
Get Closer To Your Selected Field
You don’t have to wait until you have graduated to experience what it is like to work in the field you majored in. Thus, meet up with current students and professionals in the specific field.
Have them discuss their experiences. If you can get an internship in the field you are studying in while still in school the better. It doesn’t even have to be a paid opportunity.
The more you can learn about the field the better you will be in deciding whether it is the best thing for you to study or not.
If you realize early that the field you have chosen will not work for you can still change without disrupting our life that much. Therefore, you have to explore your options.
In this case, when you finally settle on what to study there will be no doubts that it is the best thing for you because you will have all the details needed at hand.
Be Patient
You will have to invest time and be committed in order to choose the right major. The experiences you will go through in the process might not be the easiest and it is during this time you have to remember to be patient. Stressing yourself up will not help you make the right decision instantly.
Thus, go with the flow and be more focused on the end product as well as the journey. In the end, you will achieve what you wanted and that is why patience is necessary.
Conclusion
You are not the only person at crossroads on what to stay and you won’t be the last one! Following these steps will quickly give you answers on what should I study in college.
What is a major?
This is your specialized area of study in college
How important is your major?
Having a major does not guarantee you a bright future, According to experts, most graduates have jobs which are mot even associated with what they did in college.
