As you’re applying to colleges, there are many decisions to make and boxes to check. One of these is thinking about your potential major. While the major you select on the Common Application isn’t set in stone (unless you’re applying to a specific school within a university–and even then you can typically change your major within the school itself), it’s helpful for admissions officers to see what you’ve chosen as your major so that they can evaluate your application accordingly. To guide you through the process, we’ve provided you with different criteria to look over as you choose the best college major.
Think About Where Your Interests Lie
Consider your primary academic interests—think about which classes you’ve enjoyed the most and what subjects you can see yourself pursuing over the next four years. You’re going to be taking a lot of classes in your major, so it’s best to think about what you can explore in-depth and want to keep learning. Your major could also be connected to your extracurricular activities. For example, if you’ve spent a lot of time in debate or Model UN, you might go the political science route. Or, if you’ve enjoyed tutoring younger siblings, you might consider an education major.
Prioritize Your Academic Strengths
Are you stronger in one academic area over others? If you are applying as a prospective engineering major, colleges won’t have a good impression of you if your physics or math grades are weak. On that note, you should ideally have had some academic exposure to the subject—if you say you wish to be a psychology major, it’s helpful to have taken AP Psych and done well in the course. Not only should you love the subject, but you should also have demonstrated academic prowess in it.
Be as Specific as Possible
Think about your niche interest within a field. Thousands of students apply as engineering majors to a school. The more specific you get within the subject area, the better admissions officers can understand your goals. It’s important to research how different colleges separate majors and topics within your chosen field. Feel free to choose different majors for the various schools you’re applying to—not all colleges have the same offerings. If one of your colleges has “Biology,” but another has a more narrowed-down “Marine Biology” and that’s your specific interest—perhaps one where you’ve conducted research and done independent projects—you should list the more specific one for schools where it’s applicable.
Think About Your Future Career
Most students choose a major that is tied to their career interests. While you don’t necessarily have to be a biology major to go to medical school—and instead take pre-med requirements—it’s still important to choose a subject that can equip you with the tools to succeed in your future career. Ifgraduate school, law school, medical school, or an MBA is a future plan for you, consider what major would set you up for success on that route four or more years from now. And if you want to go to a career that requires a certain knowledge base, make sure you gain that skill set. For example, most journalism jobs might want English or communications majors.
Consider the Rest of Your Application
If your AP classes and extracurriculars point to one interest, but your choice of major points to another, this might confuse the admissions officers. If your profile demonstrates that you’re a STEM-focused student, don’t put “History” as your primary choice of major. At the same time, think about the specific college you’re applying to. If you’re a humanities student, don’t apply primarily to STEM schools. As an English major, you won’t benefit much from a university like Georgia Tech.
Some colleges invite and even encourage applications from students who are undecided about their majors. If you’re truly undecided, consider applying to some of these schools (such as the University of Rochester or Northeastern University). Even if you don’t know exactly which school or which major are in your future, you definitely have your interests, strengths, and goals. Hopefully, your courses, activities, and essays support your choice and help admissions officers understand how you would fit into and contribute to the classroom.
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