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Picking a College Major: Things to Consider

Posted May 11, 2010

In high school, you don’t have a lot of control over what you get to study. You can choose between Spanish, Chinese, or French, peut-être, or theater or art (if you’re lucky), but for the most part, your fate is out of your hands. When you get to college, you belly-up to an educational smorgasbord, and you get to stuff yourself for awhile—until you have to choose just one dish: your major. And you better like pancakes, because you’re going to be eating A LOT of pancakes, and you’re going to be a pancake farmer one day. (OK, somewhere this metaphor went awry, but you get the idea.)

Your college major is supposed to prepare you for a specific career. Unfortunately, many students pick a major without thinking about what that career will actually entail. Before you pick a major, consider whether the career it leads to is right for you:

Pre-Med
Newsflash: If you can’t handle blood and guts, med school will not be your cup of tea. Even the most strong-stomached toss their cookies in Anatomy 101.

Agriculture
Newsflash: A career in agriculture will most likely not allow you to live the big city life. If you’ve watched enough episodes of The City, this may come as a relief. If not having a Thai delivery place on speed dial sounds like your personal nightmare, you might want to think about majoring in Marketing.

Pre-Law
News flash: Most pre-law majors end up going to law school. That means the LSAT, three more years of school, and A LOT of reading before you get to say things like, “I rest my case!”

English and Languages
Many people get degrees in literature or languages with the idea that they’re going to teach. Newsflash: Teachers are supposed to like kids... and teaching. Don't plan to teach if the thought of walking 25 pre-teens through To Kill a Mockingbird year after year makes you want to scratch your eyes out.

Psychology
Newsflash: Psychologists listen to people whine all day. It may be justified whining, but it’s whining nonetheless. If you’re uncomfortable with tears, shouting, and group hugs, this may not be the best major for you.

Majors don't lead in just one direction. Your pre-med major might take you into pharmaceutical sales, or your English degree might make you a blogger one day (hypothetically speaking, of course, ahem). But before you decide to study Surf Science and Technology because you want to learn how to shred the pipeline, consider the fact that you never want to leave Kansas.

By: Kathryn_Williams

Tags: graduation guide

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