It’s not exactly fall just yet, but the back to school season will soon be upon us. Indeed, many college and university students have already selected their courses for the upcoming semester and, for those who haven’t, they will be picking their courses very soon too. And this can be a huge source of stress, particularly for freshman who are entering “higher education” for the first time.
You already know what faculty you’re in, but you could also be feeling a lot of pressure to select your major right off the bat. Given the huge financial commitment that goes along with acquiring a post-secondary education, this is not a decision to be taken lightly. While it can certainly prove expensive to dilly-dally among several different areas of study, I highly encourage you not to choose your major in your first year.
Entering a Brave New World
When you go to college or university for the first time, everything is going to be new to you. In high school, teachers would usually be there to nag you about doing your homework or studying for your tests. Professors don’t do that. In high school, everyone had roughly the same kind of schedule. In university, your schedule is dictated by the courses you select. Some of your friends may have classes that start at 8am, but yours may not start until later. Likewise, you may partake in some evening courses while your buddies may not. And college could be the first time for you living away from home.
It’s all new and it can all be very overwhelming.
And this is also true for many of the courses you might take. Speaking for myself, my high school didn’t offer any courses in economics, but I took Economics 101 and 102 at the University of British Columbia where I got my degree. Prior to university, I didn’t take any courses in statistics, sociology, or anthropology either, but I took all of those during my time at UBC. How can you know if you want to major in any of these disciplines if you’ve never had any formal education in them. That’s what you should be doing during your first year in school.
Opening Your Eyes for the First Time (Again)
Absolutely, you should take certain core courses like English and Math, but remember to take as many electives as you can too. I majored in my worst subject and it’s because I took Psychology as an elective on a whim and decided it was right for me. I got better grades in math and economics — and I thought accounting was the career I was going to pursue — but that’s not the path I ended up taking. And I’m very happy for it. My English Literature minor probably helps in my current career too.
Some people will say that dedicating four or five years of your life to get a university degree is a waste of time and money, because they don’t guarantee you any sort of real job prospects when you graduate. However, you want to make sure that if you are going to spend that kind of time and money on your degree that you pursue something that really interests you and that really fits with your particular skill set. Otherwise, it really will feel like a wasted opportunity.
Seeking Inspiration and Guidance
There are definitely some specialized educational paths out there for doctors, engineers and astrophysicists. Don’t get me wrong. But if you can help it, don’t declare your major in your first year of studies. Instead, take that time to really explore what yourself and what your university or college has to offer. Visit the career center and talk to a counselor. Use those resources.
If you feel like you don’t know what to do with your life, realize that you are not alone. Just about all of your other classmates feel the same way, but some of them might pigeon-hole themselves into a specialization they may later regret. I know it sounds cliche, but what they say really is true. College and university is a time for finding yourself.
Allow yourself to do that.
Sometimes Michael you know what you want to do. You have been doing it for years and it’s what you want. There is no, “Lets look at Sociology” just I want to be a doctor or a baseball player.
High School is a lot different today Michael. They have IB programs, MS certification paths, Career Technical education is engineering, drafting and physics. They do offer a lot of the courses you mentioned that you didn’t get until you get to college.
On the other hand, there are all the overwhelming things that college brings that you mentioned. Living alone or in a dorm is a new experience. Social life is much different when you have to learn to really balance it with a workload of classes and possibly a job.
Taking a lot of the basic courses the first year should be the essential goal in year 1. You can as you essay declare after the first year and really you can wait two full years before having to start taking major type courses.
The types of courses offered at the high school level will vary drastically from school to school, district to district. I’m only speaking from personal experience with what was available at my school, using the specific examples that I encountered. I’m sure there are countless others.
I’m also reminded of a post I wrote a few years back about demographics and school performance:
https://btr.michaelkwan.com/2010/03/09/on-school-performance-and-demographics/
Schools in more affluent neighborhoods will inevitably offer more opportunities to their students. My friend in a richer neighborhood went to France for a class trip; my French class went to a crepe restaurant here in Vancouver.
Of courser I am not criticizing you Michael. I am speaking from my knowledge being a school district employee and seeing it every day.
There is no doubt that districts vary immensely, not only on demographics, but on what the school board feels is important. All of our schools are very highly technical and advanced in technology because we had a very technologically advanced leadership 10 years ago.
We are also a much more affluent community on the whole too. But, I think it is the thinking of the school board that decided to also hire those that are of the highest standards to make this work the way it does today.