2
9 months ago
Admissions Advice

What major should I pick?
Answered

I am a junior and have trouble deciding what interests me most. My dream school is Smith and I don't know if I should go into a STEM major or humanities or what I want to do. I have many interests all across the board. This year I took AP Environmental Science and AP Language, I wish I could have fit more AP classes in but due to scheduling conflicts, I could not. I am also an editor of my school newspaper and I enjoy that. I am planning on taking AP Government, AP Statistics, and AP Psychology next year, as well as doing the newspaper again. I am interested in environmental research, medical research, being a psychiatrist, journalism, and political science. I am planning to explore different fields through ECs more this year, including an environmental science internship, and potentially shadowing a professional therapist. I just don't know what else to do. I do well in all of my classes but my issue is I haven't felt that something was just for me, as much as I am interested in something someone else does it better, and for me, that is very discouraging. I feel I could be happy in many different fields and I am just looking for advice about what I should look into. Thanks!

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Accepted Answer
9 months ago

Yeah, I had this issue, too :) You're not the only student with multiple interests! I was debating between botany, teaching, or something totally different. Problem was, I liked things about both careers: kids and plants are both things I genuinely enjoy.

However, I took a random course (it was actually meant to be about finances) and the teacher was addressing how to choose a career. He said to try it for 100 hours. If you get to 10 hours and you're already tired of it, then it is obviously not for you. If you get to 100 hours and felt it had been 10, then keep going! The basic idea, however you adapt the concept, is that you want to choose something you NOT ONLY can picture yourself doing BUT for the rest of your life- and still love it.

I realized I would end up teaching my own kids (plan to homeschool so they can have the best education I can offer) so going to school to teach other kids to then teach my own did not appeal to me. I also discovered, through exploration and experience, that my passion for ornamental horticulture and floral design grew. I LOVED the idea of doing this for life. In fact, I am so excited about my future major and college education that I cannot wait to graduate!! On top of that, I decided to take all my general education credits during hs so I can focus on plants when I get to school.

See how motivated I was? It's not just about what interests you, but what drives you!

I hope this helps you a little. Also, please know it's ok not to know yet. While it is certainly helpful to know what major you want, many students end up changing their mind later- it's okay as long as you do what you love in the end!

I wrote a extensive post called "Choosing the Perfect Major" you may appreciate: collegevine.com/questions/50362/choosing-the-perfect-major-please-comment

If you have any questions, lmk! Hope this helps you feel more confident :)

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Unweighted GPA: 3.7
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SAT: 720 math
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