Your major is a big part of your college experience. It affects what classes you take, what extracurriculars and internship you’ll seek out, and what job you’ll have in the future. So, it’s really important to make sure that you like your major! But, it can also be confusing and overwhelming to figure out exactly what you’re passionate about. Here are some ways to tell if you’re on the right track.
You enjoy your classes.
This may seem obvious, but if you don’t like your classes – the actual content of the subject you want to study – then your major might not be right for you. Of course, not every class is going to be interesting. Sometimes you have to take classes that you may not find as interesting or you may not like a professor’s teaching style. So, if you don’t enjoy a few classes, that’s okay, but it could be a red flag if you don’t find any of your classes interesting.
You enjoy the day to day part of your major.
Liking the idea of your major is different than liking your actual major. For example, I think that the idea of being a lawyer sounds cool, if being in law school was like the movie Legally Blonde – I wish. However, I don’t think I would enjoy the day to day work of being a pre-law major – research, reading law documents, and writing reports. You should enjoy the actual, day-to-day reality of your major, not the idea of it.
You’re looking forward to the future.
Even if you don’t know what you want to do in the future (and that’s totally okay!), you should be excited about upcoming classes, internships, and potential job opportunities. When you look at course descriptions for your next semester’s schedule, do the classes seem interesting? If you’re feeling a sense of dread about upcoming classes, then it might be time to rethink your major.
Your assignments are interesting.
Sure, sometimes you just have to get through your homework and get your assignments done, but there should be some assignments that you’re interested in. Whether it’s a multigenre project for your English class or an anthropology presentation, there should be some topics that you really want to explore and learn more about.
You seek out the subject material in your free time.
Are you in a club related to your major? Do you like to read articles related to what you’re studying? It’s a good sign if you’re engaging with the subjects you’re interested in outside of class time. Obviously you don’t need to spend your whole life studying (we all need a break sometimes), but you should like your major enough that you choose to learn more about it.
If you don’t like your major, then don’t worry; you’ll find a major that’s a good fit for you. Plenty of people are figuring out what they’re passionate about, and it can take time. So, don’t rush and feel like you have to have everything figured out now.
And if you enjoy your major, that’s awesome! Keep doing what you’re doing. If you’re passionate about what you’re studying, then you’re going to do great things, and the world will be a better place for it.