How do I know what to Study in College?

One of the choices that every senior high School student has is how to determine what they will study in college. There are many majors and careers out there that anyone can choose from but it needs to be taken seriously.

As a teenager, we might not be bordered about what careers we want while in junior high school and all we care about is our daily needs. But as we grow up, we come to see the need to choose what we want and what work will help us achieve our dream.

While at high School, we might be introduced to different careers out there and those that pay a lot of money and those that don’t. Also we can start thinking of Becoming an engineer or medical doctor because of the classes we had in science class or other classes.

There are many things which can lead us to choosing the course to study in the university and this article will help you make the right decision. 

Many people will urge you to ask your parents about the course you will major in while at college and some will tell you to go for your passion. All this is good advice but still, what can you do if you don’t know what you want to study in college?

How do I determine what to study in college

One thing to remember also is that it is not everyone that finds it difficult to determine what they want to study in University, some already know what to study and they will just apply or choose a major outrightly. This might be because of their talents, like drawing or singing and also some might choose engineering or medicine because of their knowledge in STEM subjects.

Selecting the field you want to major in at college is very important and so you need all the Vital information at your disposal so as not to make costly mistakes. To help you determine what to study in college if you have not done so, below are the best tips for choosing a college major.

Take you time

Choosing a college major is not what you need to do in a rush. You need to think about what will become easy with such a degree. This is a lifetime choice and anything you choose will make or destroy your future. In selecting the course you will study in college, you need to start early before getting to college. This time will offer you the chance to think about what you want in life and what course will help you achieve that.

Go for Passion or Research

While growing up all of us what you like doing or a character will like to be like when we grow up. So as we grow up now we will like to do some stuff. Some who love electronics might want to work in tech companies that produce such electrical devices and then studying electrical and electronics engineering might be our desire. So people might also tell us to do that because it is our passion. Though this is fine and might work out perfectly fine but it’s not the only way, what might be our passion might not be the best for us.

You can carry out research about careers in STEM and what you need to major in at college to get that result after graduation. Sometimes our passion might fail us. For example, we might like to become a pilot but we are not mathematically strong and this can’t work out well. So passion is not what we’ll need to determine what to study in college but good information about what career is out there.

So during your research, you will get to know about many careers that interest you and you need to write them down. This can also happen during your sophomore year in college. During this period you can take various courses at University and see which interest you and your understanding of such courses, this will help you when determining what to major in.

Choose from the reduced list

From your of careers you might want to pursue in college, you need to reduce them to what you can do. This time, you need to go further than just liking the career to knowing what it can offer you. When you have narrowed the list down, you can be able to make a good decision.

From this reduced list, choose the one that makes more sense to you and which you can study and understand

Get a feedback

What you can do If you don’t know what to study in college is to ask people around you what they think about the course you have choose from the list above. You can ask you parents or relatives who have pass through Colleges about what they think about the course you want to study.

In addition to this individuals you know, you can visit any nearby college that offers the major and ask students who are ready in the field about the major and if it fits your dream. This can be very helpful because of their experience in the school and department.

Get career advice

Now is the time to meet with professionals or industrialist in the career you want to go into and get their humble opinion. These people have been working in this field for years and as such their experience can help you make the best decision. So to help you to determine what to study in college if you never did so, ask people who already work in that field. They can help you know what to work there requires, academically and otherwise.

Know the Academic requirements

Before you finally settle for any major you have chosen, please inquire about the academic requirements. What the professionals in the industry will tell you about how good the career is or lucrative is not the only thing you should take, you should also think about what is required to go through the course. Majors in STEM are very demanding and need those who have mathematical and analytical skills and as such you must make sure you fit into any course before you adopt them. If you have a field that excites you, you need to make sure that you can find the type of classes that you like.

Will the undergraduate major be enough

Also to take note of before choosing any course to study in the university, you should know the extent of the major. What and what will be taught at the undergraduate level? Will I be well equipped to face the career with the undergraduate degree? These questions are very necessary. 

When you have the answers to this question, you will be able to determine if you should study it or not. If the major will require that you take further courses, that is, postgraduate courses, then you have to prepare for it. This means it will take you further years and cost before you can be able to practice as a professional.

Career opportunity

When you are looking for a course to study in college, you should also be careful to choose a course that has a marketable career. It is very important to choose a career path that will be easy to get meaningful employment after graduation or you can be able to market very well. When you have a career with high employment opportunities, it will serve as a stimulant to you and will push you to do better. You should make sure the college major you choose will make you enjoy your future as you work.

Cost of study

To also put in your checklist while choosing a major is what it will cost to study. Different disciplines have different fees it will cost you. This is important especially when you cannot afford the tuition fee but will depend on student loans. When taking a loan, you need to know how best to use the money and what amount you can get at a time. If you can’t afford the tuition fees for a particular course in the college and you applied for it, you will not be able to complete it and it will be a waste of time for you.

College of interest

There are many colleges you can attend but not all offer the course you want to study. Even if the college offers the course, some might be better than others. So you need to look for College that has the capacity to give you what you need to Excel in your major.

Choose a major

After you have gone through the list that will help you determine what course to study in college, you can now make up your mind and choose a course. This course will be the best for you because you have taken your time to research, review, ask questions and see what the major will offer you while as an undergraduate and as a graduate.

Should I go to college if I don’t know what I want to do

Though it is best to know what you want to study before going to college, it is still possible to go to college without knowing what you want to study. Some people might still advise you to go to college if you don’t have any major in mind. This is so because you can take different classes during your sophomore year at the college and this will help you select a good major if you don’t have any in mind.

Should I go to college if I hate school?

Should I go to college if I hate school can only be answered by me. Why do I say so? When you listen to people who choose not to go to school or people who attended colleges, their reasons are always personal though related. 

The simple answer is yes and no. You can go to college if you hate school and the reason can be addressed. For example, some people might hate School because of the experience they had while at High School, experiences like bullying, restrictions, facing STEM classes when you don’t understand them and others. All these things that can make one hate school can be solved and might not be applicable in college.

So you can still be successful going to college if you meet with college advisors who will help you sort things out and help you choose the right major for you and college.

In addition, you should not go to college if you hate school because you don’t want any professional discipline. Some people like simple jobs that don’t require any academic degree. You can choose to go to trade Schools or become an apprentice to such trade. You can also open a shop and trade on common commodities. This is specific to a tribe in Nigeria, the Ibo tribe. This people are known to trade in commodities without any formal education.