<p>well, my name is not maxwell edison, and I can’t major in medicine.
My first question is, how important is it to know what you want to major in before entering college? Does it affect your admissions chances or how successful you are in college? When I did an overnight, every frosh I met had a major, I know I didnt meet every 09er in the whole school, I’m just saying I didn’t meet anyone undecided. Of course, 20 out of 1000 isnt a big percentage. anyway…
Right now, I want to go to med school after college. And I’ve wanted to do this for the past three years almost. Of course, I know it doesnt matter what I major in.
I’m thinking majoring in the Classics (Greek) could be fun, but if I change my mind about going to med school, I would have no career options except become a museum curator. I also like the idea of majoring in English if my focus is on creative writing, because I like to write a lot.
But really, I don’t know what I want to major in.</p>
<p>If it’s important for me to choose a major, could somebody please give me some ideas.
Some of my interests are:
Horseback Riding
Science
American History
Greek Myths/Culture/History/Etc.
Art
Creative Writing
Reading
Music (Jazz/Rock/Blues)
Theater
Travel
Psychology</p>
<p>I don’t know if that helps at all in picking a major, but I clearly have no idea how this works. I really like travelling and other cultures. If there’s a career/major that has to do with that and writing, that would be cool.</p>
<p>Your proposed major really doesn’t make a difference in terms of admission. Most college personnel understand that most students will change their proposed major at least once in their four years of school. There is some advantage of a general knowledge of study area so that you can make sure that the college has the major of interest to you. Your interests are certainly broad enough so you could try to make sure that the colleges you choose to apply to are able to provide you good experiences in most if not all of your interest areas. Given your last paragraph you might want to look at international relations/international studies. Travel, other cultures, language training and certainly writing.</p>
<p>International relations is the study of foreign cultures and politics. It has become a very popular major over the past ten years due to the increased recognition and interactions between the US and other countries in terms of economics, politics and social forces. IR programs differ from college to college based on how much they are geared to business, political science or language and culture studies. Usually you have to study abroad for one semester and you often have to become proficient in a foreign language. IR graduates usually have to get a master’s degree to get positions working in foreign embassies, working for the government, UN posts, etc. IR graduates can also find work in international education areas such as teaching english overseas, teaching english as a foreign language in the US, and other positions where one has to have the ability to understand/appreciate foreign cultures in order to apply educational or business principles.</p>
<p>You seem to like everything, so if you want to study all of these things at least more than a class or two each, you will probably have to do some interdisciplinary program, or choose to study a few of these far more than others. If you go to a liberal arts college, school that makes you take a wide variety of classes, or make yourself take a wide variety of classes, you could probably touch upon most of your interests (if not all of them) within th 3-5 years during which you get your BA. Besides horseback riding. That will be hard to find. The only school that I know has horses is Smith. </p>
<p>Anyway, you should pick a school that is generally strong all around and where you will be happy. Then, the school’s strengths, departments, and professors will influence your major, but you can always study other subjects “for fun” or “on the side” while fulfilling requirements for the major field. The purpose of the major is to give you a somewhat comprehensive knowledge and skill set with one subject, but it is not to limit your life to only being able to study that one subject.</p>
<p>You are interested in psych and history, and most top schools have good programs there. Science is very general, but there are plenty of school strong there as well. Classics can be harder to find at liberal arts colleges, but many top schools have great programs. LACs vary widely in number of profs in art, so if that is a concern check into it. Creative writing programs are uncommong but by no means rare. Reading you will do almost everywhere, so do not worry- you will be in books while in college. Some schools have ethnomusicology majors, but you might be interested in performance. Programs are uncommon compared to english or history, but by no means rare. Theater you can find on a recreational level at many schools. Travel is best fulfilled by traveling, and most schools allow students to study abroad, although some help with this more or make it easier for them to do so.</p>
<p>You should start thinking about which of these subject areas matters most to you, or that you would like to do for the next four or five years. Realize that picking a major is not picking a career path. I think people should major in something they love and will probably do well in, not something that is “practical.” Choosing a major generally doesn’t limit career options, besides things like engineering or some types of chemistry. You can obviously major in anything and go to med school, or law school, for that matter, as long as you fulfill the requirements and take the right tests. Most people don’t end up doing anything related to what they majored in. If you want to do that, you almost always have to get an advanced degree. The question becomes at your school, what can you tolerate or enjoy the most by fulfilling the major requirements for some area of study? It isn’t “what job do you want to do for your life.” Many people get their advanced degree in fields different than their BA or BS field as well.</p>