Choosing a major: Easier said than done
“What are you majoring in?”
Now, that common question often has no answer.
“I just felt a little pressure from myself. I just want to know,” Jessica Adamson, an undeclared freshman, said.
To releive the stress of being undeclared, the Career Services Center and University Advising and Transfer Services are available here on Utah State University’s campus.
Through Career Services, Students can take career interest tests or look up detailed information on all majors and minors offered at USU, Urie Strebel, a peer adviser, said.
There’s also a career and life planning class, psychology 1220, for those who are undecided.
“I narrowed it down. That’s the important thing,” said Patrick Montandon, an undeclared freshman, who took psychology 1220.
“It gave me some great tools.” The tools include online lists of majors, personality tests and personal profiles.
Tyler Whitaker, now a senior majoring in music education, thought he wanted to first major in electrical engineering and then business, but after a year of each he realized he just wasn’t passionate about either anymore.
“I had interest but I just wasn’t quite passionate enough to keep going through the red tape [hard classes],” he said.
He has changed his major three times while at USU and only his general education classes would transfer to his current major.
“I explored each field out myself and talked to my friends,” he said. “I’m on the seven-and-a-half-year plan.”
Whitaker said he was about to just graduate with a general degree but decided he needed to do what he really wanted to do.
Choosing a major and minor early can save time and money, Becki Broadbent, an academic adviser, said.
“After 170 credits you get charged out of state tuition,” she said. Broadbent also said she has seen students come in who have taken four credits of breath social sciences.
“It’s better to stay undeclared and do exploration than to declare,” she said.
Around 1,500 to 2,000 students are undeclared. “It’s very common,” she added.
“With 30 to 40 credits you should start exploring majors and with 45 to 60 you should make a decision,” she said.
This is not to make students feel they need to change immediately but to get them thinking about what they want to do, she said.
Broadbent works at the University Advising and Transfer Services on the third floor of the Taggart Student Center, where they offer general education advising for those who are undeclared and help with switching majors.
After going to Career Services and completing a test to determine interests, the advising office will find which majors USU has to offer based on certain interests.
Utah State has eight academic colleges to choose from: Education and Human Services, Humanities Arts and Social Sciences, Agriculture, Natural Resources, Science, Engineering, Business and Career Exploration.
Each is split into multiple departments and have wide variety of majors. Information on all majors offered at USU is available at Career Services or in the USU General Catalog.
Most departments require an area of emphasis for a major. For example: A journalism communications major is divided into three areas of emphasis: print, broadcast and public relations. More than one emphasis is possible in some majors.
An emphasis deals especially with a major, while a minor is completely separate from the major. A minor, can be declared before a major is even selected and many people have multiple minors. For instance: An economics major may also have a minor in marketing, accounting and Spanish.
Broadbent also said advisers for each specific major will recommend good minors to compliment the major.
There are peer and academic advisers. A peer adviser is an experienced student who advises other students on general education requirements. They range from sophomores to seniors and are also available to help in selecting the best classes to take.
“My peer adviser told me which courses were the best general classes to take,” Heather Gabbert, a dual major in elementary and early childhood education, said. “My peer adviser also advised me which classes were fun and easy or harder than they thought.”
Academic advisers are usually faculty members or professional advisers, Broadbent said. The academic adviser will clarify if the courses the peer adviser selected are valid for graduation. Academic advisers also help more with certain majors.
Many other questions can be answered by going to the career services office, located on the basement floor of the University Inn. Career services offer testing to determine student’s interests, Strebel said.
After going to career services, students should go to the university advising and transfer services, Broadbent said.
For more options on majors there will be a Major Fair from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 22 in the Taggart Student Center Sunburst and International Lounge.
For job ideas, the Career Fair will be held March 2 on the second floor of the TSC. All students are welcome to attend.
-ranaebang@cc.usu.edu