Special Series Spotlight: How I Picked My Major
The BetterGrads “College 101 Blog” kicked off 2011 with a special series titled “How I Picked My Major.”
Guest contributors were asked to tell their personal story of picking a college major-how they did it, why they picked it, and what kind of challenges they faced.
We thank the writers of this special series for their candor and willingness to share their stories.
Here are some highlights from the series:
Journal Your Path
“I decided that my career choice should be based on my two greatest loves: history and writing. Searching for colleges with these areas of study was easy. However, my criteria of [disability] support services really narrowed down the list.”
Michael Roppolo
Rochester Institute of Technolgoy
Don’t Make Me Choose
“Being undeclared was a real adventure for me. … Every class I took had me strangely captivated: the idea that you can study men’s behavior in urinal selection in anthropology; how to break social norms in sociology; the integral; photosynthesis; bugs! Yes, I even took a class in entomology.”
Denise Guerra
University of California, Los Angeles
What Do I Want to Do When I Grow Up?
“I picked the journalism program at ASU. It felt like a good fit and would provide a clear path toward my career goal of becoming a reporter. Plus, you can’t beat those winters. Coming from Colorado, wearing flip-flops in November sounded glorious.”
Annemarie Moody
Arizona State University
Search and You Shall Find
“I spent my semesters taking courses within fields I was considering, and a few times, even officially changed my major. I attempted everything from finance to elementary education to marketing. I had so many aspirations for my future and didn’t want to compromise on any of them.”
Courtney Caughey
Slippery Rock University
Finding My Passion
“I never realized how important it is to your academic career that you major in something you are passionate about. It put college in a whole new perspective for me. I never imagined the active role I would take from just one class.”
Dana Frederick
Owens Community College
True Life: I’m a Double Major
” It wasn’t until I actually looked at the university’s list of majors that I really discovered my destiny. Right under the “political science” listing, I saw the “planning, public policy and management” major. … Bingo! I never thought a program title could so eloquently put into words what I wanted to do.”
Michelle Rau
University of Oregon
Study to Be, Not to Do
“As a political science major, I am constantly asked which party I belong to, what I think of Obama’s healthcare policy, and whether or not I’ll be pursuing law school. The frequency of the limited range of these questions reflect the common misunderstandings related to my major.”
Erik Lee
Diablo Valley College
