High school students often feel pressure to have their college major already chosen by the time they apply to college. The pressure to have their plan already figured out comes for the application process itself, which often asks why you’ve chosen the major you indicated in your application. It comes from teachers and counselors at school. A lot of the time, it comes from parents. This is really important: you don’t have to have a major picked out yet.
There are situations where it’s definitely more convenient to already have a major in mind. Large universities, often divided into separate schools with their own applications and requirements, make it hard to get started as a completely Undecided major. It also helps to know your major from day one if you want to graduate from college early…or even on time. There are financial considerations, too. I tell people all the time that if your honest idea about a major is “I don’t know,” then there are plenty of schools built for that. But they tend to be smaller, private liberal arts colleges. And those are often more expensive than larger public universities in your state.
On the other hand, it’s not always a good idea to get too caught up in a chosen major, especially if you’re not feeling too sure about it. You’re likely to change your major anyway—around a third of college students do. And feeling like you “have to” know your life path by the time you’re 18-19 is about as practical as feeling like you “have to” find a life partner by the time you’re 25. It just doesn’t really work that way for most people, even if it would be more convenient and efficient.
Most of the people I work with don’t have a single, clear major chosen by the time they graduate high school. But most of them have an idea of what direction they’re going. Or several possible directions. So if it’s helpful for people who haven't gone through the process to see what’s “normal,” here are examples from the class of 2022 that I’ve worked with (I changed all the names). You can see the variety of schools they end up going to. I live and work in Texas, so it’s no surprise that many of them end up at the University of Texas.
Blair is solidly undecided. They think they’re leaning towards a STEM major, maybe Chemistry? But they’re really relying on college as a place to help them figure out their path, not college as a stepping stone on their path. Blair will be attending Trinity University.
Katherine is STEM-focuesd and very interested in ecology. She will probably end up majoring in Chemistry or Environmental Science. Katherine will be attending UC San Diego.
Liz is undecided. She’s interested in psychology and film, or maybe something else altogether. Liz will be attending Bates College.
Henry is one of the most decided people I’ve worked with when it comes to a major. He wants to major in Mechanical Engineering. Henry will be attending UT Austin in the Cockrell School of Engineering, in the honors program for mechanical engineering.
Lexi wants to double major in Neuroscience and Women & Gender Studies. She’s thinking seriously about med school, and she’s seriously interested in the disparity of medical treatment among men and women in the US. Lexi will be attending the University of Arizona.
Hannah is undecided, but focused on humanities, possibly Political Science. Hannah will be attending American University.
Layla had her mind set on a pre-vet program, but then later in high school she got really interested in agricultural policy. I will not be surprised to see her go on to law school. Layla will be attending Baylor University.
Raj is interested in both Political Science and Chemistry. He also has a passion and natural talent for linguistice. Raj will be attending UT Austin.
Yash is interested in many things, including Political Science, Global Studies, Business, and Education. Yash will be attending UT Austin.
Rachel hasn’t got a major picked out, but it will definitely be in the Humanities. Communication, perhaps? Rachel will be attending the University of Virginia.
Sarah is thinking about majoring in Business, Computer Science, and/or Engineering. She has experience with all three through working in her family business. But she can also envision herself moving towards Literature or Anthropology. Sarah will be attending Dartmouth.
Hannah is very focused on business, so it makes sense that Hannah will be attending Bentley University.
Cara has a variety of interests and hasn’t got a clear major yet. Cara will be attending UT Austin. She applied with the Moody School of Communication as her top choice, but is already trying to move to the McCombs School of Business. She hopes to make the move official at Freshman Orientation.
Molly is a charismatic performer who had a different idea for a major almost every time I spoke to her. Theater. Film. Costume Design. Business with an art industry focus. Music production. Molly will be attending Southwestern University.
From my experience, this snapshot of 14 is pretty typical. There are a few who have a strong sense of that they want, applied to only a few schools, and made the choice fairly easily. Most have a big-picture idea of what they want to do, and will figure out the details in college. These students applied to more schools and had more difficulty making their final choice. And some are still pursuing a wide array of interests. They have very little focus on a major or career path, though they are some of the most energetic and accomplished of the bunch. Several of them made the decision, literally, on the last day.
There are lots of ways to get where you’re going, especially if you don’t know where that is.
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