How do decide what major to take in college???

Hi Kennedy!

You are asking a very important question!

The ideal situation is one in which a person goes to work every day looking forward to the opportunity to do something enjoyable, satisfying, and fulfilling not only to oneself but to a larger community.

If you find an area that looks interesting to you, here are some things to do to find out more. Looking for a career area is like buying a pair of shoes. They may look great, but you need to try them on and walk in them for a while to determine proper fit and comfort.
- talk to your school counselor about becoming involved in coop, intern, shadowing, and volunteer programs that will allow you to see what people in a career area actually do, how they got there, and how you feel about
- talk to the head of alumni relations at your school to arrange to meet and visit graduates of your school to learn more
- talk to the head of alumni relations at UGA to arrange to meet and talk with graduates of that school who may be living and/or working near you so you can learn about what they are doing and also learn about the school to get their advice and see if you really want to go there
- talk to the reference librarian at your local library to learn about professional organizations that represent those working in your career areas of interest so that you can attend meetings to mix and mingle. These organizations are very open and encouraging of student inquiries and participation.

Best of luck! Please keep me posted. I would like to follow your progress!

Hi Kennedy: I absolutely agree with you that it is worth it to find the right major before you enter a college. That it very important because if you find the right major for you, it is easier to find the right college for the major you are seeking. I will give you a few hints to help you along:  #1. The Career Center in the college you want to go to or the college nearest to you should have a Career Center. Within that Center they will have counselors and those counselors can set you up to take some of the Assessment tests such as Interest, Personality, Skills and Values. These are very important for you to take and will actually guide you into the career that fit with your profile after you have taken them. It is however important to talk with a Career Counselor when you have your profile so they can direct you towards the best schools for the major you want and the classes you need to take and why this might be the best for you. There may be two or three or more careers that come out of the session, but that is ok because you have some goals and places to research some of these careers now that you know these might be the suitable one for you. #2 This has helped me immensely during my college days because I originally was going into teaching, but after doing it I didn't like it. I then took the Assessments and found out why I didn't like it and also what I did like to do and how my personality would fit into the career of choice.  #3. I choose Career Counseling for many reasons after I took the Assessments and have had a fulfilled and happy Career ever since. I hope you get the same result that I did and are able to get into the right school for your major.  I hope this has helped you at least to define what you should do next.

#4. I would like to give a few other ideas for after you have found a Career Choice: It would be wise if you tried to get a volunteer job or regular part time job within that particular career that you chose.  That will give you more insight as to  what you will be doing each day; if you can't find a job like you want then check on an Internship program through you college and also check on the Job Board at your school. When you decide on your Career choice there also may be an organization or club that you can join at your school that will make you more aware of what this particular job entails. If you know someone who does a job that you are thinking about, ask that person if you can shadow them for a few days or a week to get the real feel for the job, then you have information to make a good judgment for yourself. 

Collegeboard.org is a great resource for this! I poured through the pages of universities all over the U.S. when I was a senior in high school. Collegeboard was my go-to site! They put all of the information in one place and it is very easy to use. They even have various filters you can apply to see only colleges that have programs you are interested. To determine academic rigor, look at the admissions requirements, G.P.A. of past admitted applicants, SAT/ACT scores, class rank etc. This will give you an idea of what scores and grades you need to be accepted. However, don't be discouraged your application will be reviewed based on the full picture! College-board will help you get an idea of what is most important to the specific school you are applying to

I think there are two types of majors - ones with clear career paths and ones that are broader. If you study accounting, you will likely become an accountant. If you study psychology or business or history, you won't be pigeonholed into one career.

What subjects did you enjoy most in school? what types of books do you like?

Consider taking liberal arts classes your freshman year until something fits.

I studied music business as a major.