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Ashlynn
Student
Waterloo, South Carolina
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What does minor and major mean in college?
I’m 15 years old and I’m stressfully trying to prepare for college because my brother is a senior and I’m a sophomore. So all I hear his stuff about college and being prepared for college. While also focusing on high school.
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Michelle M.
Entertainment Industry
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Michelle’s Answer
Hello, Ashlynn !
You are at an exciting time of your life and I am sorry to hear that you are stressing by hearing your brother talking about college. This is truly a wonderful time for you to relax, take it all in and it is all a great influence for you because you will have insight for making your own decisions about college when your time comes. I have been in the same situation you are now, however, it was one in which I just listened to the goings-on and formed my own opinions as to what I'd choose for my own college experience. I had a mom and a sister in college while I was still in high school and it was a major positive and important influence on me even earlier on than high school.
A "major" is a course of study for which you concentrate most of your courses for. Most times it is a subject to prepare one for a career. A major in psychology, for instance, would be for someone who wants to go into the behavioral health field. A minor is a second interest that one has. Each college may have different requirements for what a minor can be as far as how many credits/units or courses one would need. When I was in college - a long time ago - you needed 12 units of credit in your chosen minor. I think I ended up having more than 12 units of credit for my minor, but each college will explain their guidelines around it for you. You sometimes can have a career in your minor, too, as I did. I majored in Theatre and minored in Social Science and have had careers in both subjects. What I am not sure of today is that if a minor is even required so you may want to look into what a few colleges have to say about it. So, your major is what you choose as your main study and you minor is something that you are also interested in, but you will get your degree in your major. Continue to ask questions about anything that seems new to you and by the time you graduate high school, you will have learned a lot to prepare you for college.
You are at an exciting time of your life and I am sorry to hear that you are stressing by hearing your brother talking about college. This is truly a wonderful time for you to relax, take it all in and it is all a great influence for you because you will have insight for making your own decisions about college when your time comes. I have been in the same situation you are now, however, it was one in which I just listened to the goings-on and formed my own opinions as to what I'd choose for my own college experience. I had a mom and a sister in college while I was still in high school and it was a major positive and important influence on me even earlier on than high school.
A "major" is a course of study for which you concentrate most of your courses for. Most times it is a subject to prepare one for a career. A major in psychology, for instance, would be for someone who wants to go into the behavioral health field. A minor is a second interest that one has. Each college may have different requirements for what a minor can be as far as how many credits/units or courses one would need. When I was in college - a long time ago - you needed 12 units of credit in your chosen minor. I think I ended up having more than 12 units of credit for my minor, but each college will explain their guidelines around it for you. You sometimes can have a career in your minor, too, as I did. I majored in Theatre and minored in Social Science and have had careers in both subjects. What I am not sure of today is that if a minor is even required so you may want to look into what a few colleges have to say about it. So, your major is what you choose as your main study and you minor is something that you are also interested in, but you will get your degree in your major. Continue to ask questions about anything that seems new to you and by the time you graduate high school, you will have learned a lot to prepare you for college.