Although college is a perfect time for students to explore their interests by taking various general education classes, going into college with an undeclared major can hold students back.
When students start college, they should have a vague idea of what career they want to pursue or an idea of what interests them. The great thing about the first few years of college is that students are not bound to their major and they can change it upon developing new interests.
Coming into college with a declared major can help students realize what their strengths and weaknesses are and guide them to other classes that will help them discover their passions. If students enter undeclared, they may mindlessly take tons of classes before truly realizing what they are interested in.
For example, a student who enters college as a psychology major may realize that he or she does not want to pursue psychology, but that class can still help them in the future and would count toward elective or general education credits.
Additionally, there are plenty of resources for students to take advantage of before starting college to get an idea of what they might be good at. Career counselors and websites can provide insight to students so they don’t feel completely unprepared when they enter college, and therefore can declare a major as soon as possible.
If students enter college with a declared major, they can begin to network and make connections in advance with professors in their field. They can build their resumes sooner because they will have the necessary classes to prepare them for jobs and internships in their career. Even if they choose to change it, they can have key skills under their belts that can help in other jobs or internships.
When I started college, I was certain that I wanted to major in nutrition. After realizing that it wasn’t what I had expected it to be, I had enough time to change it so that I wasn’t wasting my time. If a student starts college with an undeclared major, they may declare a major too late and realize that it isn’t what they actually want to pursue.
Each student learns at his or her own pace, but most want to get out of college as soon as possible so that they can be finished with school and enter the workforce.
Declaring a major upon starting college will speed up the process and have them graduating as soon as possible.
Students will get the most out of their college experience if they enter college with a major already in mind. They won’t waste their time or money trying to decide what they should major in.
