For better or worse, from the time children start to speak or play dress-up to their senior year in high school, they are repeatedly asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”
At Berry, we try to challenge this question. Instead, we ask students, “What type of life do you have in mind?” Our goal as an institution is to help students think beyond a single career path. A Berry education is about more than preparing for a job; it’s about shaping a meaningful and intentional future through a comprehensive education.
When choosing a college major, you are deciding on a launchpad for contributing to society rather than signing a contract to serve as a fill-in-the-blank for the rest of your life. Want to know how to choose the right major? This guide will help you better understand what a major is and why colleges encourage students to narrow in on a certain area of expertise.
At Berry, students complete a minimum of 120 credit hours to graduate with a bachelor’s degree. These hours include general education courses (classes considered important for every major) and elective courses (classes students choose as exploratory or for fun)! These totals typically leave between 40 to 60 hours of coursework for a given major or focused area of study.
Major classes make up between one third to half of the classes an undergraduate student takes. So, choosing a field you find interesting, applicable to your future, and engaging is important. At the same time, remember, declaring a major does not write your destiny.
In a comprehensive education setting, a major is a framework, a way to limit the scope of application. As described by faculty advisor David Elmer at Berry, “The hope is students leave with a variety of transferable skills they could apply in many career paths. But students also need to practice depth of analysis, intensive critical thinking and more. A major becomes the conduit for learning to problem-solve or practice higher-order thinking skills. Without choosing an area of expertise, it is difficult to have in-depth problems to practice on.”
In other words, a great starting place for choosing a major is really knowing yourself and what you want to spend your time and energy thinking about.
The reality is many students do not know what they want to spend their time thinking about right away. They may have some direction already, but their thinking might be shaped by the careers of adults they have spent time around. These preconceived notions can actually lead students to skip this important first step before choosing a major.
Understanding yourself before you decide on a major can ultimately help you find the best career fit and help you contribute to society. Our goal is for students to begin charting a course early in their college experience by reflecting on:
To begin answering these questions, students can ask themselves:
Berry offers a variety of resources through the Center for Personal and Professional Development to help students explore these questions, including:
Students typically declare and start major courses sometime during their second year, but it is not a requirement. The timeline can vary depending on the major. But once you know what you are interested in considering, this moment is a great opportunity to test the waters of a specific field. As you try on real possibilities for your future, bounce your thoughts off mentors along the way. Here are a few tried-and-true ways to test out a major:
These experiences help you turn curiosity into action and reflect on whether your strengths, goals and values align with the work they’re exploring.
As you gain and collect experiences, take time to reflect. What did you enjoy? What felt like a good fit? What didn’t? This step is about refining your direction based on what you’ve learned; it’s okay to change direction, too. Use this time to consider adding minors or concentrations too. You may discover new interests or confirm that your initial instincts were right. Either way, this makes space to think through what you’ve experienced and helps ensure your direction and decisions are intentional and informed.
Once you’ve explored, tried it on and reflected, you are ready to declare your major. This formal step allows you to focus on your academic energy and begin building depth in a field that excites you. Work with your advisor to make sure you’ve met the prerequisites and understand the course requirements. Then, begin to map out your remaining semesters or experiences you want to have prior to graduation. Declaring a major doesn’t mean closing the door to other interests. Rather, it is a way to focus your learning and prepare for offering meaningful contributions to the world.
Are you looking at colleges and feeling like you need to make a decision about a major? Let this guide reassure you that you don’t have to pick a path before you begin. But don’t be afraid to ask questions about majors you might explore when you visit a school. Talk with admissions counselors, potential faculty members and guidance counselors. Your major is just one part of the college journey. In fact, why don’t you explore how the type of education you choose will help you make this decision along the way here!
