Let’s be honest, getting asked “What do you want to major in?” when you can’t even decide what to eat for lunch can feel pretty overwhelming. For a lot of students, picking a college major is one of the toughest decisions. The good news is you don’t need to have your whole future figured out as a teenager.
What a lot of students don’t realize is that most colleges don’t even require you to choose a major until your sophomore year. That gives you plenty of time to look into new subjects and discover passions you might not have known you had. You might go into college thinking you want to be a doctor and then find yourself really interested in political science instead. Almost one-third of college students change their major at least once. Choosing a major isn’t about making the “perfect” pick your first try, but instead, it’s about slowly finding what feels right for you as you go and experience college.
It’s also important to remember that your major doesn’t lock you into one specific career. Sure, some careers like engineering or nursing require certain degrees, but for most fields, your major is just one part of the story. English majors become business professionals, biology majors work in marketing, and history majors go on to law school.
What really matters is how you grow during college, including what you learn,what how you think, and what you decide to do with that knowledge. College isn’t just about picking a career path, but figuring out who you are and the kind of impact you want to make in the future.
When I interviewed Patrick, my brother who is graduating from dentistry school this summer, told me he chose dentistry because he liked how varied the work is–from doing different treatments to running a business and building relationships with patients. He also likes the balance of creativity and seeing real, visible results in helping people.
Patrick mentioned that he actually changed his intended major right when he started college, and that no specific high school class or teacher had a big influence on his decision. When I asked how much salary played into his choice, he said it was about 50%. His main advice for high school students is to think about what they enjoy doing–whether that’s solving problems, being creative, or even something more repetitive– then picking a subject that fits those interests. He also pointed out that if you enjoy what you do and put effort into it, the money will usually follow.
According to him, “it’s totally okay to start college undecided, as long as you’re open to exploring and finding what works for you.” If he had a chance to re-pick his major, he said he’d still choose the same.
Changing your major might feel like a big deal, but it’s a lot more common than it’s made to seem. Many students realize partway through college that what they thought they wanted to study doesn’t quite fit anymore, and they don’t see themselves pursuing it as a career.
I talked to my cousin Angelika, who switched majors during college, and her experience shows how sometimes making a change can lead to something even better. I first asked Angelika how she picked her college major back in high school. She said she always enjoyed science classes and wanted to do something in the medical field but she wasn’t sure exactly what. She thought pre-pharmacy sounded interesting because she could help people and play an important role in their health care.
When I asked about her experience studying pre-pharmacy in college, she told me she enjoyed delving deeper into science classes and that working in a pharmacy a few days a week really helped her figure out if that career was right for her. I asked what made her change her mind. Angelika explained that after working in a pharmacy, she wasn’t sure she wanted to do that for the rest of her life. So she started exploring other fields and shadowing different medical areas. Eventually, she found something she enjoyed more, switched to general health sciences, and went on to grad school for optometry.
When I asked if she was happy with her decision to switch, she said yes. It was a tough choice at the time, but looking back, she’s glad she made the change. She pointed out that a lot of students aren’t totally sure what they want when they start college and many switch majors. Even though she worried about whether she’d get into other graduate programs, she felt it was worth the risk to find a path she loves.
College is about figuring out who you are and what matters to you, and that often means trying different things before something feels right. Your interests can shift, your goals can change, and that’s totally normal. Even just having a conversation with someone in a field you’ve never considered can open your eyes to a new path you hadn’t thought about before. You don’t have to have it all figured out, you just have to stay open to discovering what fits you best as you go.
I spoke to Daniel Lasota, a UConn Alum and UHart MBA, asking what he would say to high school students who feel pressured to have it all figured out, and he answered, “It is okay to not be completely sure about what you want to do when you graduate! You always have the option in college to choose a general major or can change majors later on. Working or shadowing in fields you’re interested in is also great to figure out whether or not you can see yourself in that career path.”
Getting involved outside of class can really help you figure things out. Experiences outside of class matter just as much, if not more, when it comes to figuring out what feels right. My brother, who is about to graduate from dental school, didn’t always know that dentistry was for him. It was through interning and getting real-world experience that he started to feel sure. Getting involved in volunteering or shadowing people in different fields lets you see what a job is actually like, beyond what you see in the course descriptions or what people say about it.
Choosing a major can feel like a big deal, but it doesn’t have to be as stressful as people tend to make it. You’re not supposed to have your entire life planned out at eighteen. College is a time to discover what matters to you and to try things out without the expectation that you’ll get it perfect right away. The most important thing is to stay in the mindset of finding what you want to do. You don’t have to rush or compare your path to anyone else’s because the goal isn’t to have it all figured out on day one, but instead, to keep learning until something works out in the end.