You’ve met with admissions, poured through the catalogs and saw how many different options there are in choosing a major. Like many new students, you too probably felt a bit overwhelmed by the different educational opportunities available.Choosing a major is one of the biggest decisions you will be faced in your college career and this is a decision you don’t want to take lightly and make a hasty decision. With so many degree offerings and career prospects, you may be wondering how to select which program is right for you? As you consider your options it is important to understand you don’t necessarily have to make a decision immediately. If you are experiencing any indecisiveness it would be a wise idea to talk to your academic counselor before committing to a specific degree program. Your counselor can provide you with some great tips in how to begin your educational journey and some techniques to help you decide which path is the right one for you.If you are really torn between a couple of options or are completely undecided, you may want to consider begining your coursework within the Liberal Arts framework. When I worked several years at a college, I saw how academic counselors often recommended this course of action for students. Their reasoning is this option gives you the freedom to explore the various areas of study. Sampling a broad range of classes gives you an opportunity to discover the kinds of coursework which appeal most to you.A good way to help you decide is to create a list of your interests and see which degree programs offer courses which spark your attention and perk your interest. When doing this it is good to keep in mind the availability of careers in your potential discipline. While interests are extremely important, you’ll also want to select an area of instruction that appeals to you as a career choice and a degree which will be valuable to you in the job market when you graduate. If an area of expertise shows a forecasted decline of positions for the next few years, it might be worth looking at your secondary interests.One pitfall to avoid is quickly selecting a major and immediately jumping into the degree requirements because most of the time this is a costly mistake. Even if you are sure of your course of study, it’s almost always recommended you start your core requirements first because it is not uncommon for students to discover half way through their degree their chosen major isn’t quite what they’d expected; by now a lot of time and money will have been spent.People grow during their college years and getting the general requirements out of the way allows more time to be sure. This way if you find you have changed your mind, those general education courses can be transferred to another degree program with little or no loss of credit. If you haven’t changed your mind in the first few semesters, those degree specific classes will still be waiting for your enrollment.One tip I always remembered that my mentor gave me at our first meeting was to plan ahead as best as possible; he recommended not jumping into a degree program without a strategy. If your goal is to get an Associates and/or Bachelors, plan along the lines of a career upon graduation, but if your plan is to continue towards a Masters, you’ll want to insure your coursework will be applied to your next level of study so you aren’t starting over with classes you’ll need. For instance, if you decide to pursue an Art degree and have goals for an MBA, many classes won’t apply. You might want to look at other art related degrees that contain business classes or move to something else entirely.When selecting a major, it’s most important to choose one you’ll be enthusiastic about. Don’t automatically assume the degrees which yield the high paying jobs are the best ones to pursue. If they really don’t strike your fancy, your degree will not be as valuable if you end up in a short-lived career you quit due to unhappiness or because you were bored to tears.If you really aren’t sure of which direction you want to head, consider taking some time to examine your options during your first year. You can’t wait forever to decide, but you do have a little time in your early semesters to spread your wings before you fly. Category:Home › Other • Pomegranates: A newly discovered superfood • Where did the joke why did the chicken cross the road come from and why is it funny? • Can mothers diagnosed with bipolar disorder make good parents? • Spiritual evolution of human consciousness • Tips for getting a college basketball scholarship • Living with Pseudotumor cerebri (PTC) • Caring for the caregiver • Technologys impact on society