Strategies for Choosing a Major

Division of Undergraduate Studies at San Diego State University

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Overview

● You're not alone● Strategies

-Written exercises-Asking the right questions-Career Services-Research-Gaining experience-Career exploration

● How to declare● References

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You're not alone

● About 1/3 of entering college students are undeclared

● More than 50% of college students change their major at least once (Office of Undeclared Majors, n.d.)

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Where are you at?

● Do you have an idea of what majors interest you? Or are you completely clueless?

Don't worry! SDSU offers tons of services to assist everyone. However, it is up to you to be proactive and take advantage of the services offered.

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Written Exercises

● Reflect● What are your interests, goals, hopes, and

life expectations? (Slowinski & Hammock, 2003)

● Evaluate your experiences

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Asking yourself the right questions

● What majors interest me?-Why?-What has influenced this interest?-What do I know about these majors?

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Career Services is key

● Visit SDSU Career Services! SSE-1200● Meet with a Career Counselor● Career Services offers assessments with a

referral from a career counselor http://career.sdsu.edu/current/assessments.html

● Understand that many careers do not require a specific major

● There are usually many paths that can lead you to your desired career

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Research

● Review SDSU General catalog and familiarize yourself with major requirements and course descriptions

● Talk to the major departments and ask what kinds of things their alumni are doing

● Talk to current students in the major, and find out if there is an academic club you can join

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Gaining Experience

● Course work ● Remember, every major at SDSU is

impacted, which means it is important for students to maintain a good GPA

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Career Exploration (Slowinski & Hammock, 2003)

● Job shadowing● Informational Interviews● Talking with family, friends, and

professionals● Internships/volunteer work● Start to build a network

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How to declare

● Once you have decided on a major, pick up a declaration of major form from the Office of the Registrar, or the Academic Advising Center

● Take the form to your major adviser and have it signed

● Turn in the signed form to the Office of the Registrar

● You will then be a pre-major until you complete the major pre-requirements

ReferencesOffice of Undeclared Majors, San Diego State University (n.d.) Undeclared Students, Frequently Asked Questions.

Retrieved from http://dus.sdsu.edu/dus/undeclared/faq.aspx

Slowinski, Patrick T., and Hammock, W. Kerry (2003) Undecided/open students.Retrieved from the NACADA Clearinghouse of Academic Advising Resources Web site: [http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/Resources/Clearinghouse/View-Articles/Advising-Undeclared-Students.aspx]