Deciding a college major may be the one thing more difficult than deciding between pancakes or waffles. Greenville University hosts a freshman majors fair in the Crum Recreation Center every fall, providing new students with the opportunity to find all that each major has to offer. At first glance, the variety of quality majors being offered may seem overwhelming. A freshman majors fair is the perfect atmosphere to communicate with faculty, staff, and students in order to ask the pivotal questions about how a major can guide your future.
College students are no strangers when it comes to changing their majors. The Student Research Foundation presented these statistics from the U.S. Department of Education:
- 52% of math majors switched to another major
- 40% of natural sciences majors switched
- 37% of education majors switched
- 36% of humanities majors switched
- 35% of all STEM majors switched
When asking senior volleyball player Johnny Milabu what advice he would give a freshman on deciding a major, Milabu said, “Take your time and make sure to see all options and speak to advisors of interested majors in order to get a better feel of the major.” There are many things to consider when deciding a major such as: future job opportunities, personal connections, and finding your niche. Milabu’s advice of consideration is “Don’t just pick one because of friends, but choose if you could actually see yourself committing to the major.”
When asked what takeaways has his major provided him, Milabu replied “As a computer science major, a big take away would be to pay attention to detail, and use every resource available to you.” No matter what field of study, utilizing wisdom from an experienced veteran will always prove beneficial. Senior Hailey Steffen gives this advice to a freshman undecided on a major, “[Being undecided] is okay. Use the first year or year and a half to take classes and figure out what you want. Talk to professors, learn what jobs actually look like.” Spoken like a true veteran, Steffen continued, “What makes you happy combined with what you’re good at makes the perfect major for you. Money isn’t everything; don’t pick it because the payout is good.” Finally while discussing takeaways from her major, Steffen claims, “Sometimes you have to take the long way around to find your dream.”
The journey to deciding a major as a freshman isn’t always an easy one. With patience and direction, finding a major becomes an experience, rather than a burden.
Media by Dylan Goodyear.
