...
Going to college is a stressful time for any prospective student. For perhaps the first time, you’re making real life decisions about where to go to school, whether to live on- or off-campus, and whether to ease into things with a nice pottery class or go for broke with calculus. Perhaps the most momentous decision of all, though, is what exactly to study. A decision that big will set the course of the rest of your life, but fortunately, it doesn’t have to be made right away.
So When Exactly Do I Declare a Major?
Most colleges do not require you to formally select your major until the end of your sophomore year. In fact, some (including such illustrious schools as Vanderbilt and Duke) even require the student to wait for several semesters, although the majority allow declaration of a major as soon as the department approves it, which can be as early as your first semester. With so much time to think about it, there’s no need to worry that you have to set your life in stone right at the beginning of your college career.
Most colleges do not require you to formally select your major until the end of your sophomore year. In fact, some (including such illustrious schools as Vanderbilt and Duke) even require the student to wait for several semesters, although the majority allow declaration of a major as soon as the department approves it, which can be as early as your first semester. With so much time to think about it, there’s no need to worry that you have to set your life in stone right at the beginning of your college career.
Why Wait?
The majority of students will not know what they want to do right away when they enter college. NBC reports that as many as 80 percent of incoming freshman have not decided on a major, so if you need to wait, you’ve got a lot of company. Switching majors after you’ve declared can be quite costly in terms of time, not to mention the bridges burned with the previous department, so it can pay to wait until you’re sure.
The majority of students will not know what they want to do right away when they enter college. NBC reports that as many as 80 percent of incoming freshman have not decided on a major, so if you need to wait, you’ve got a lot of company. Switching majors after you’ve declared can be quite costly in terms of time, not to mention the bridges burned with the previous department, so it can pay to wait until you’re sure.
Once you’ve made up your mind, though, it’s worthwhile to declare your major as soon as possible, since you’ll be able to get more specific advisors and even some preferential treatment when getting enrolled in popular classes in your department.
What to Do Until You Declare
The far-off deadline can make it tempting to stick to the fun classes during your first few semesters, but giving in to that temptation could be a mistake. Every wasted class during the first semesters will need to be replaced later, and those extra credits will cost you extra money. Try to narrow down your potential majors and stick to classes within those majors.
The far-off deadline can make it tempting to stick to the fun classes during your first few semesters, but giving in to that temptation could be a mistake. Every wasted class during the first semesters will need to be replaced later, and those extra credits will cost you extra money. Try to narrow down your potential majors and stick to classes within those majors.
That way, you minimize the time you spend in unfocused study. You should also talk to your advisor to make sure the electives you take will fill the general education requirements of most departments in order to make sure you can use those credits later on. There’s nothing more frustrating than finishing up your major course-load only to find that you can’t graduate until you’ve taken another year’s worth of freshman humanities.
Deciding when to declare your major is all about finding the right balance. While waiting to declare can be costly in terms of wasted credits, declaring too soon can lead to an embarrassing and potentially expensive major change. Worse still, you might find yourself stuck with a degree in a subject you don’t really love. Don’t worry, though; with an educated approach and a solid plan, you can find the major that best suits you.
No comments:
Post a Comment