What If I Choose the Wrong Major?

Rachel Hanson, Contributing Writer

Updated: 11/7/2009

American college students often go through the application process, as well as the first or second year of college, wondering if they’ve chosen the ‘right’ major or not. The good news is that in America, changing one’s major is quite a simple matter, much simpler than in many other countries. In addition, there’s no such thing as the ‘right’ major; some degrees are better suited to each individual student, but there is no one, single, degree that is the ‘right’ one for each student. It’s for these two reasons that one should not worry too much, at least not lose sleep, about whether or not the right major has been chosen.

Narrowing the Field

Choosing a degree program is an important step. In this sense, it is very important that you chose a major that you will do well with and that you will enjoy. It’s therefore understandable that students come up with the idea that there is one ‘right’ degree out there and hundreds of ‘wrong’ ones. If that were indeed the case, the chances of actually picking the right one would be infinitely small.

What students can do to ensure that they go about making a degree program choice in a way that is likely to lead to satisfaction, both personally and professionally, is to take a good hard look at their abilities and their interests before signing up for one degree program or another. College and university catalogues offer descriptions of all of their degree programs, so the first step is to find out what grabs your interest. The fact that changing your major is quite simple shouldn’t deter you from wanting to choose the right major in the first place; see the option of switching majors as a safety net, but do go ahead and make an informed decision about which university degree you are going to pursue.

First, you can narrow the options by deciding which broad field you are best suited for. Do you do best in domains where there is one ‘right’ answer to each question, or do you thrive on pondering all the philosophical ramifications of all the possible answers to the question? Thinking about these kinds of preferences will steer you either towards hard sciences and mathematics or towards liberal arts. In addition, decide what kind of skills or knowledge you are most interested in pursuing. If you want to hone your writing and communications skills, many majors will do this over the course of four years; however, math and engineering degrees will not. Think about your strengths as well as your interests. Where you are most likely to succeed often turns out to be the place where you are most satisfied, fulfilled, and where you excel.

Switching Majors

As mentioned earlier, American universities make it quite simple to switch majors during your bachelor degree. Of course, the earlier you are in your eight semesters of study, the easier it is to switch and the lower the chances of having to add a ninth and tenth semester to your bachelor studies. For this reason, don’t lose sleep over your choice of major before starting college. If, during the first semester, you start to wonder about your choice, visit the career center and your study advisor with your concerns (before signing up for second semester classes). Do think about and analyze your major choice, but don’t agonize over it.

Lastly, remember that your B.A. or B.S. does not determine the rest of your life. Students with B.A. degrees can go on to earn M.S. degrees, and vice versa, so never consider a ‘wrong’ major choice a devastation; if you decide to pursue a different field, your past studies will not be useless…they just make your resume and your knowledge base that much broader.

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