Choosing and Declaring My Major
It's time for some self-reflection. Determine the level of challenge, attention and stretch a major will have on you. If you are pretty confident you know your area of interest, then skip ahead. If not, you should utilize the Self-Assessment Center to drill down into what majors may be a good fit for you based upon aptitude, interests, knowledge and values. Bottom line - we should all want to be successful and learn more about ourselves - what we like and what we don't like. What captures our attention and keeps it? What does not? Picking a major should balance your interest and abilities to be successful.
Changing majors, double majors, declaring majors and minors, a second bachelor's degree all may be some of the things you are considering that brought you to CollegeTransfer.Net. "What major is right for me?" is one of the most common thoughts college students ask their college advisor. Perhaps your studies have taken you in a new direction, and your current school does not offer the major or program that now interests you. Maybe you want to change majors at your existing school, but want to know how that will affect your degree requirements and time to graduate. Perchance you are planning ahead, or you are just curious about your options. Either way you found the right place!
Don't lose credits. Be smart about selecting or changing majors.
Changing majors is one of the things students often consider and do after enrollment. Many of us change majors and end up taking longer to complete college, and many end up paying for it long after graduating. Some give up college with all the added frustration - not seeing how it relates to present circumstances, only to be caught short a few years later.
One of the key things you should consider is when to change your major. If you are within your first 60 credits, you have a better chance of moving your credits and course work around to other majors or programs of study than if you are already taking major or upper level courses you no longer have interest in nor may the credits be applicable when you change your major. You have to consider a major similar to a road trip between two cities. Changing the destination may mean you will take different roads altogether - and even back track on different roads to get to your new destination. Like the analogy, the new destination and road trip may end up costing you more in time and money. There is a solution or near solution to the dilemma - that is the possibility of being guided by transfer articulation agreements - which allow blocks of credits to transfer from one school and program to another. What are transfer agreements you wonder? Click here to review the background on transfer agreements.
Explore the largest database of transfer articulation agreements right here on CollegeTransfer.Net. Instead of hunting for agreements spread across thousands of websites - and often never posted publicly, we have taken the time to collect, codify and publish transfer agreements by institution.
The pros and cons of changing your major when you pass the 60 credit threshold (about two years of coursework) may be fraught with issues. Thus, If you think you will be changing your major in the near future, research the implications at your college, community college or university before you get too far in your coursework. In other words, plan you transfer proactively.
When you are considering changing colleges or changing majors, pull together all your coursework records by requesting your academic transcripts each semester or term. Create a Student Passport on CollegeTransfer.Net - then save all of your academic records privately. This will be very useful when you visit with your potential new destination and begin discussing your situation and academic progress before you enroll.
Before you enroll:
Make sure you request an assessment of your prior coursework and training, often called a degree audit. Depending upon the school's selectivity and capability, you may have to wait to get an assessment of your prior learning (courses, tests, training, life experiences, etc.). Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) is not consistent across colleges, community colleges and universities. They all have different methods and practices implemented over the years. PLA is where the administrative process checks your prior coursework against their prior reviews and articulates your studies in relation to the requirements they document. Articulation is the term given to the process of checking, noting and deciding. Often, the administrative process can be tedious and challenging. Make sure you are prepared and work with the Department of your major, and not just the administrative offices of the school who may discount your coursework. Defend your coursework and how you have leveraged what you learned, not just the specifics of the course description. Use syllabi and course materials to demonstrate you have already mastered the subjects and wish to focus on other subjects more in line with your interests.
Should you finish your Major/Degree before changing your concentration?
Consider this: if you only have a semester or two of study left, what are the implications of finishing what you started? 1st, finishing demonstrates you have what it takes to complete the task. 2nd, finishing demonstrates you can overcome distractions, self interests and unforseen challenges. Finishing what you start, even if you don't like it has a positive outcome. When it comes to job opportunities, demonstrating you have what it takes to finish difficult tasks is a key attribute that differentiates one person from another.
In reality, college major has a poor correlation to what people end up doing in many jobs and careers long term. Professional and technical careers in health care though do correlate with the major and concentration. Majors are not a direct line to a job in many circumstances. For instance, many music majors and arts majors work in business settings. Some go into computer programming for instance. The major is just a form of specialization which demonstrates you can concentrate your studies and succeed. It does not lock you into a job for life.
Many advisors and counselors will tell you otherwise, but we feel pretty strongly that college completion is more important than finishing what you concentrate in. Concentrations can and will change as you pursue jobs and positions over your lifetime. What is most important is showing how you have what it takes - to master any subject or task. You can tackle any job with that approach. Completing your college degree is an achievement. It is a credential when you finish, connecting you to others who followed your path before, during and after your enrollment. The major or concentration is a subset of what you learned - within the scope of a structured environment, and we hope you consider keeping that in perspective.
If you are considering moving from one four-year institution from another, you should request the institution's transfer policy guidelines. In most cases, these can be found on CollegeTransfer.Net under the Transfer Profile views. If you are considering moving across state lines, use the State Education Profiles displaying the Transfer Services Network and access the Best Colleges and Universities serving student transfer services. Search for the Transfer Profiles of the Colleges and Universities in which you are interested. You can compare the transfer survey elements, review more details and request further information from the school. It is recommended that you identify and locate transfer policies first to help understand the transfer process and set a plan for making the most of your accumulated prior learning or coursework completed to date. When you research transfer policies, you will want to understand the details listed in the institution's catalog or bulletin. Often times, the transfer policies will be general in nature. As you continue to research transfer information, look for more specific requirements about course credit transfer from another regionally accredited academic institution, the military, corporate, professional training or testing out of courses.
Whatever your situation, the CollegeTransfer.Net website is a unique online resource to help you make transfer decisions and find your way. Please explore the resources here that are just for you such as the Career Center and Assess Yourself content and tools. Changing majors will depend how far you have passed through an existing major or program. Don't feel lost or confused. Choosing a major is just another step in completing your degree. It is not the end all. It is just a form of specialization that helps demonstrate your ability to focus on a subject, which is really what is important as we follow our career paths. Most people will change specializations over fifty years of work. Specialization allows us to excel. Keep in mind, choosing a major is just one step and should align with your interests, skills, talent, motivation and personality. This is why most advisors will suggest finding and choosing a major that relates to your interests.
