How to Pick Your Major/Minors

Choosing a major in college can be overwhelming, so be sure to take some time and explore available resources and gain insight about choosing your major and minor.

As the job market becomes more competitive, companies are requiring more qualifications from their applicants—this is an important reason why you should choose a college major that suits your strengths, personality, and interests. Here are aspects to consider when choosing a major in college.

• Do you work well with people and thrive in a busy, fast paced environment, or do your strengths lie in computers and technology?
• Is it important that you work in a field where you are able to help people?
• Do you enjoy hands-on work?
• Would you like to work outdoors?
• Do you enjoy working with children or animals?
• Would you like to travel?

Choosing a major in college and ultimately deciding on the type of field that you go into, so it is important that you make sure that you are choosing a major that suits you and is something you can see yourself making a career out of and doing for many years to come.

To choose your college minor, start by writing down a list of areas that interest you and areas that complement your college major. For example, if you're majoring in marketing but enjoy criminal studies or the arts, minor in criminal justice, literature or art history. Another option is to choose a minor that stresses an area you struggle with and will benefit you after graduation. If you're an English major but don't write well, tweak your writing skills with a minor in creative writing. Or, why not have fun with your college minor and choose something you enjoy that is completely different from your major --this makes the extra work seem less tedious and lets you break away from the rigors of your regular studies. Planning a minor around your future career or travel goals and picking a foreign language minor if you plan on traveling after graduation or working in an area with a high population of non-native speakers is also a great option.

Make sure to make the final decision on your own--you are the one who has to live with these choices for the rest of your life, so make them count. Choosing a major and minor in college that coincides with your beliefs, interests, and strengths is important. Good luck!

How to Pick the Right College for You

When first choosing a college, you need to divide your college choices into three categories: top-choice schools or those that are most difficult to get into, your second choice schools or ones that you have a reasonable chance of getting into and that you would be excited to attend, and finally your "safety colleges”, those schools that you will definitely get into. It is a good idea to try having 2 or 3 colleges that fit into each of the different categories.

The next step is to narrow down the college choices by doing some research. Talk to counselors, teachers, family friends and even your parents--these people will be full of friendly advice and, since they know you, they may have specific reasons for recommending a certain college to you.

When you think about schools, you need to consider what you really want in an education. A pre-professional education prepares you for a specific job and includes areas such as engineering and pre-med. Some schools like M.I.T. have very strong programs for those interested in the sciences, but might not be right for someone interested in literature. A liberal arts education, on the other hand, aims to equip you with general knowledge and reasoning skills suitable for many jobs.

You also want to ask how the college ranks in the major you want to study--some schools are stronger in some areas and weaker in others. While it may be too early for you to know whether you want to major in English or history, check out how strong the programs and professors are in the various fields you are considering. One indication of how much emphasis a university places on a major is to find out how many students are studying that major, how many courses are offered in the field and how many faculty members teach the courses associated with that major and others like it. If you want a major in a narrow field, you might have to consider a larger university.

As you explore colleges, you'll discover that some factors are not as important to you as others. Ultimately, you want to pick schools that meet your needs. As you do your research, keep in mind that your college education is one of the most important investments you will ever make in your future and it's worth spending the time to make sure that you make the right decision.

Compare College Programs

The popularity of many colleges and universities comes from the programs that they offer. Some schools are known for engineering, information technology, or art. Students who know what fields interest them may choose an institution based upon individual programs. Other students may prefer to select a major program after their first year.

It is important for families to compare specific programs. This comparison can help them when it comes to the cost of an education. It is also a tool when it comes to the benefits of a degree program. You can best compare programs by doing a bit of research. Knowing what a school offers is a critical part of your selection.

Look at Majors

Students who already know the major that they are interested in are in a good position. They can select institutions that offer that major. Another thing to consider here are the focuses that are offered. Education is one example of degree programs that may vary depending on the school. Accounting and management are two other diverse programs to pursue. Comparing programs will help you to discover which may be the best fit for you.

Undergraduate and Graduate Offerings

Some families will be looking towards the future when they choose their institution. This means not only the near future, but the distant one as well. They will want to compare undergraduate programs and graduate ones. There are schools that have a vast array of undergraduate programs, but limited offerings for graduate students. This could possibly factor into your overall choice of school.

Cost of Your Degree

Another factor to consider when comparing programs is the cost of each. Some of the most popular institutions are also known for their cost. There are other schools that are much less expensive. Those that offer you great programs at a reasonable cost may be the better choice. Families use this information in order to determine how they can approach higher education expenses.

There are a lot of important factors to consider when you choose a college. The programs that a school offers can help students to prepare for the future. Individual schools will also provide you with the success rates related to their programs. This information can be quite persuasive to potential families.

Choose Your School By Major

Many high school students throughout the state of North Carolina will be looking at colleges and universities. Some of these students and their families will focus on individual schools. Others, however, will be open to the selection of the right school. One of the key things to consider when selecting an institution of higher learning is your major.

Those who know what major they intend to adopt are in a great position when it comes to shopping for schools. Not all colleges will have your particular major. Schools that do have your major of choice, may not have the program that you are interested in. This is why families need to do a bit of research before making a final decision on an institution. Here are some tips for choosing a school by major:

Narrow Down Your Search

When there is a wide selection of institutions in your state, making a choice can be difficult. There are many different ways to narrow down your search for a school. One very important issue that assists you here are the majors that a university offers. It doesn’t matter, whether you are looking for Political Science or Education. Students and parents must search for schools with majors in the degree programs they are interested in.

                                               

Look at Programs

Each school is different and has unique majors and programs to offer students. Not all programs are going to be the same. Education for example is a diverse major to consider. There are focuses like early childhood, middle school, and other areas. Depending on your interest, you will have to make your school selection. It is important that you look at each school’s major programs before making a decision.

The size of a college or university doesn’t limit what it may offer you in terms of a major. Other factors may impact your final decision as well. The distance away from home, cost of tuition, and a host of topics will influence your choice. It is always a good idea to look at the majors that an institution offers to you. This will help you to wisely determine which is the best fit for you.

Has Your High School Student Decided on a Major?

If you begin planning your child's college education and saving for the expenses like most parents, this stage of the process usually begins long before your son or daughter has decided on a major.

There is a smattering of high school students who already know emphatically what they want to do with their futures before they even choose a college, but the majority still has questions when graduation rolls around.

Parent Responsibility

As a parent, you should encourage your child to give some thought to different college majors that interest them. You should not press or attempt to force your child to accept a major based on your own desires, nor should you apply pressure to get a decision within a short timeframe. The time to begin asking and offering suggestions is no later than the 10th grade.

About 1/3 to 1/2 of the courses a student takes in college relate to a major, so it is important to have some basic idea of what direction your child will take at the start of college.

In a 4-year college, a student doesn't have to declare a major until the end of their sophomore year, but you'd prefer to avoid paying for classes that will have no relevance.

Having two majors due to uncertainty is a possibility at some colleges, but it makes academics harder for the student. Most often, the best choice is to have a major and a minor so that a switch can be made or graduate studies may be pursued.

There is some value in declaring late. The student has time to find areas of study that interest and challenge them.

A Difference in Career and Major

A college major does not always dictate what career the graduate will pursue, but accounting, nursing, or engineering, for instance, are trade specific majors that usually offer jobs within their general realms. Some majors have little to do with what profession is planned, only with preparing students for business futures. Many courses overlap and are required in numerous different and even unrelated majors.

Sometimes, in spite of how hard you work with your child to get an answer on a major, you will never arrive at anything concrete. You may consider a preliminary meeting between your student and an advisor to brainstorm and get a valued opinion on possibilities.

Don't stress if your student is undecided even going into their freshman year. This is not uncommon and college advisors are trained and experienced in helping your student make the right choices. Everyone is different and the best decisions are those carefully thought through and evaluated carefully, even if it requires a little more time.

How Does Your Child Choose a College Major?

If you have friends who have already sent kids to college, you probably have heard stories about failure along with the ones on success. Failure isn't always indicative of talent or desire; it can be caused by simple mistakes in choice and judgment. Unfortunately, that can happen at the parent level on occasion.

You Can't Decide for Your Child

Some parents have predetermined ideas about what their children will be professionally when they are still very young, and the lesson all parents eventually learn is that their offspring have different plans and desires from those of the parents. A doctor might wish the same profession for his son, but medicine is not for everyone, or there would be more doctors than the world needs.

It is much better to coach a child to focus on what they want to do in life at a very early age than it is to simply wait for a decision or force a curriculum on them. Children should start narrowing down their career objectives by the 9th grade, and if a child enters their senior year with no clue as to what line of work interests them, it is time to have a discussion on the subject.

Their career or choice of major need not be too exact, but defining it to a broad category can save some tuition for classes at school that may not be necessary for a particular area of study.

Here are some tips that might help your child in choosing a college major.

1. You can find tests online that help your child select a major by simply choosing answers to multiple choice questions. This is a good start if a child is stuck, and the process often makes important points clear.

2. Base career objectives on marketable skills and employment in fields that are viable and will be so in the future.

3. Build on strengths, not hopes. A child who doesn't grasp some subjects very well and really doesn't improve with tutoring won't do well if those subjects are requirements in a career. A student who does poorly in math will struggle in a field of study such as electrical engineering or computer programming.

Choosing a college major has to rank within the top five decisions a young person makes. What they need most from their parents is for them to be helpful and supportive.