What factors impact a student's decision-making process in picking a major?
Being 19 years old and trying to figure out what you want to do for the rest of your life is the biggest and scariest barrier to deciding a major. I found that the key is selecting a major that meshes with your interests – and not trying to think of your dream job and working backwards to find a major. If you find an area of study that you are passionate about and you could see yourself being passionate about for years to come, you are on the right track. Majors to jobs are not a one-to-one relationship – all majors will give you some flexibility within a field.
Jay Clouse, Business (Marketing), Class of 2014
My main obstacle was that I wanted to do everything! I had so many interests in so many different things and I just could not make my mind up. I also faced an obstacle with listening too much to what others had to say, mostly my family. They had their own opinions about the majors I was interested in, but in the end I realized that while I appreciated their advice and opinions, this major would be something I would be studying for the next few years and it should be something I want, not what everyone else thought was best!
Taylor White, Social Work (minor in Women's Gender and Sexuality Studies), Class of 2015
In addition to uncertainty, I struggled with dispelling outside influences and making a decision that was solely driven by my own desires and aspirations. The number of majors that exist also complicated the process. I was not comfortable selecting a single major and limiting myself to one field. But I was able to overcome this by realizing that the existence of General Education Courses and electives allowed for students to specialize in a field without sacrificing the ability to gain new knowledge in completely different fields.
Mui Choi, Chinese and Human Resources double major, Class of 2013
