Declare a Major

Declare a major when you register for your first semester. Contrary to popular belief, declaring a major will not prolong your college career, in the event you switch majors later (as long as you do not change too late in your college career). It will help you determine what it is you would like to do in life. See, I truly believe that everyone can list at least one thing that interests them. I encourage those who cannot decide on a major to really think about what makes them happy. Use that train of thought to decide what career might correspond. Notice I said career, not job. The two are extremely different, but I will not get into that now. That is a topic I will save for a later blog.

In high school, I was absolutely certain I wanted to pursue a career in marketing. The fact that I had little idea of what a career in marketing actually entailed was beside the point. When I arrived at college, and sat in on my first marketing class, I quickly realized I was cut out for something different. Not entirely different, but, nonetheless, something was not right. After I talked with my peers and professors, I was directed toward the communications department. There, they offered a major in public relations. PR is very similar to marketing but is focused more on the messaging side (hence communications). This, as it turned out, was exactly the right fit for me, but I would have never found PR if I did not jump right into a major.

The bottom line is, do not come to college without some sort of an idea. Have a plan. Even if your plan is the wrong plan, which is most often the case at first, you will be able to adapt your plan for a better fit. You may end up adapting several times before you are comfortable, but so be it. In the end, you will be aiming down a more pleasant path.