Major Exploration

Page Updated 1/16/12

College Majors

The links below offer a variety of resources for students who are having a hard time selecting a major:

• My Majors. Com   -   Lists many college majors by category with information about each major.  Offers a quiz to help students identify majors that might interest them
• My Major. Com   -  Explores advantages/disadvantages of double majoring, offers detailed information about opportunities for students choosing to major in history, business, communication, psychologoy, economics and political science
• 10 Questions to Ask Before Picking a Major  -   Informative article from US News and World Reports Education

What if I am UNDECIDED

• Most (2/3) of all college students change their field of study at least once before they graduate
• It is ok to enter freshman year as "undecided", but some colleges are better than others at helping undecideds actually choose a major by the 3rd year of college.
• I suggest that you choose a college that has a special advising program in place which requires undecideds to take mandatory courses and attend workshops designed to help them gain self-awareness (to learn your strengths, weaknesses, values and interests), explore majors and explore careers.  During your college admissions visits, ask the question:  "How are undecided major students advised differently than those students who declare a major?"  If the college does not assign undecided students to a special advisor and have a mandatory program in place to help you, it may not be the best college for you, if your goal is to graduate with a major within 4 years.
• I think SUNY Oswego does a very nice job in helping students determine their major.  Check out their undeclared advising center and perhaps use this as a basis for evaluating how other colleges handle undecideds.  Click here.
• While in high school, I suggest the following:
  • Determine your interests by taking an interest inventory (All 10th graders take the PLAN test to determine their 3-letter Holland Code and participate in a 3-day career exploration class based upon their interests).    
  • Determine your personality preferences as they relate to careers by taking a Myers-Briggs type inventory (11th graders who choose to take the PSAT receive access to a free ORA personality profiler from CollegeBoard)  
  • Explore all aspects of careers using the Career Planning resources on this site
  • Evaluate your skills / aptitudes, strengths, weaknesses as you investigate the skills /aptitudes, strengths required for each career you explore  
  • Conduct informational interviews with individuals currently employed in your career area of interest (WorkForce 2020 Career Fair during senior year)
  • Choose summer employment, volunteer activities and job shadowing experiences that will help you determine your vocational interests and dislikes. 

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