URGENT: Need help with choosing a major (or majors)!

[jellojillo15]

Heyy!

I’m really interested in public health and working at UNICEF, March of Dimes, etc. but I recently did some research and found that PH majors do not have that good job security.

So, after doing some more research I found that a major in Public Relations would also be good for me because I can just minor in PH and/or nutrition or health sciences and work at the same companies, but I would also have a back up in case I have difficulty finding a job. If anything happens, I can just use my PR degree and go work at companies Louis Vuitton, maybe write health magazines, etc.

Does anyone have any suggestions on what I can do? Please leave some good double major, major/minor combinations I could look into! I am really stressing here lol

Some combos I looked into:

Major in Public Relations w/ minor in Nutrition
Double major in Public Health and Communications
Major in Mass Communications and minor in Public Health

• Sry if this is confusing to understand! I tried my best to explain my situation here hahah

[lovey8888]

I would suggest either PR or communications. They are both two of the most versatile majors and you can work in some many different fields with those majors. Entertainment, fashion, business, health, etc… If you are really interesting in health, then I would definitely suggest minoring in something that is health related.

[CheddarcheeseMN]

Those are all good choices, especially if you are really interested in them. The key will be to get good internships and find relevant work and volunteering opportunities.

[collegemom3717]

Based on your other posts, this is not only NOT urgent- it’s not even close to time to make this decision:

1. You appear to be hoping to go the GWU, and if not presumably a similar uni. If so, you don’t declare your major for at least a year and a half from now- could be 2+ years. So tone down the “urgent”.

2. Your understanding of what either PH or PR are as fields is really superficial- which is fair! you are still in HS! IME PH jobs tend to be steadier than PR jobs, but both are pretty broad fields, and there is variability across them.

3. There is nobody here who can give you a good sense of what is right for you until you have a better sense of who you are, what your strengths are.

So: when you know what college you are going to, either put down ‘undecided’ OR read the major descriptions for both, and put down the one that sounds most genuinely interesting to you as your proposed major. Either way, take classes in both- see how you like them in real life. Then sometime in between spring of your first year and spring of your second year declare your major in the one you like best.

[jellojillo15]

I only wrote it’s urgent because I was having a panic moment at the moment
Also, I am not even considering GWU anymore and the schools I’m considering require me to declare my major by the time I commit so don’t make assumptions.

i dont know if i sound mean, but i just cant stand negativity lol i like being positive and happy! sry if this was not your intention though

[bjscheel]

You can at least make sure the college you choose has all of those or similar options. You don’t have to decide right away, and it may become more clear as you start taking classes, but you do want to have the possibilities available to you.

Also check the academic catalogs at some schools to read what classes are required for each of your majors you like, and the course descriptions. That can help you get a feel for what you would like.

[thumper1]

I think you need to learn a LOT more about public health than you seem to know right now. First, most public health jobs require a MPH (masters in public health). There are a number of sub specialties within the area. Many have really good job prospects and security.

Since you don’t have to make a decision for a long while…learn more about all of the majors you are considering, and the types of jobs they might lead to. Take courses in multiple areas of interest.

We have a number of family members with MPH degrees, and one with a PhD in international public health. All have great jobs they really like.