By Yesenia Martinez
Waiting to take major course work right before transferring or graduating can be foolish and costly.
Most students enter college being undecided on their major. Students want to decide on a major early in their school career so it does not cause money or delays in the long run.
It is a good idea for students who know what they want to major in to take introductory courses in their major early in their academic careers to make sure that they like the subject matter. Students should not only take major courses as it would be helpful to explore other courses.
If students decide they do not like a major they will then have plenty of time to change their major. It is best for students to learn this as soon as they can rather than when they are in the process of transferring.
Students postpone their major courses for the last minute might end up realizing that this is not what they want to do and change career paths.
They then could end up spending more money by taking additional courses. Many students are unsure of that they may want to major in; they start off with just taking general education classes.
This is not always a good idea to do so.
Students should not try to get general courses out of the way first, as this strategy will not give the student the opportunity to explore other course majors.
Deciding on a college major is something that requires focus.
If they decide to change their major, it is fine to do so, but they should remember that changing it too often can cause long delays. Taking too many courses may delay the graduation or transferring process.
There are some areas were more specialized skills are required and it may be hard for students to change their plans during their second year of college and still have time to meet all their requirements.
If students are unsure of what they want to major in, they could look into what interests them, their strengths, and what motivates them and makes a job worth doing. By doing some research in each department that interests them, counselors can help them decide if they want to further their knowledge in that field.
It is helpful if a student takes a look at some of the majors that they are interested in and make a parallel list of prerequisite courses for each major that they are considering. Students may find that these majors have similar prerequisite courses.
A good way to learn about any career is by talking to professors and people employed in that field.
There is help on campus such as career counselors that can help students in their decision. Students can also get involved in school clubs. By that process, students can eliminate majors that do not interest them as much.
By taking risks and getting out in the world they may explore hidden passions and this could help in their decision. Students should not only choose a major because of how the job market is or because it is something everyone else is doing.
Deciding on a major may seem stressful due to the many choices, but it does not have to be carved in stone and later on a student may change their major. Students should be aware that they may come across problems if they decide to change their major later on in their school career.