Choosing a college major:

10 things you can do this summer to help you decide on your major before starting college

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6. If someone in your field will let you come in and volunteer, do it! If they offer an apprenticeship, hop on it! If they will allow you to bring them Starbucks and talk for an hour, don’t miss this opportunity! This time is precious to identify whether each career path is a “yay” or a “nay”. Don’t wait until you are a senior to take an internship in your field, because this real life experience can help eliminate or include a potential career path.

7. Research all the degrees you need to achieve your career goal. Don’t be fooled into thinking that a BA will land you in the field of your choice, know your odds. If your career goal does require a masters or doctoral level of education, incorporate this into your plan. There may be some things you can do early to ensure that you are accepted into the programs of your choice down the road.

8. Call up your college or university and ask them to put you in touch with someone who graduated in any of the majors you are considering. Calling the alumni office may be the best source of willing graduates. Your mission is to ask them whether they recommend the program, what they are going to do with their major, what kind of classes they took and if the classes were more “hands-on” vs. “lecture style”, if the teachers in this department were strong, and if they prepared you for a job outside of college.

9. Determine what aspect of your major you want to learn. There is a wide range of focus within each major and you want to know from the start if you are barking up the right tree. For example, I pictured myself being a psychologist, working in an office with people one on one. What I didn’t know is that my University offered a program that was largely research based, not clinical based, and the closest we go to studying about a human behavior was through a textbook. The only live experience I had with anything were the rats that we studied in our research and statistics class! Look up what other schools’ departments focus on and understand the differences. Narrow down which areas interest you most.

10. Schedule an appointment with your college’s career center. If they’ll make you an appointment over the summer, that’s great. If you have to wait until you are on campus that’s fine, but make the appointment now. I hardly knew the career counseling center existed before my senior year, and even then I still didn’t schedule an appointment to talk about my future options with them. These are trained people who should be able to help you narrow down your interests and create an educational path to meet your career goals.