Selecting Your College Major: Tips from the Google+ Hangout
Use all the resources available to you.
Visit the Office of Career Services in the St.Joseph Academic and Health Resource Center where you can take the Woofound Compass personality/interest test that will give youcareer options for high school, college, and graduate or professional school graduates. This test can help steer you towards a major that fits with your career goals.
Note: You are not limited to one career aspiration, so you can choose a major that can help you achieve all of your goals.
Link and explanation of the Woofound Compass Test :
http://www.xula.edu/career-services/career-assessment-tools.php
Visit the Office of Graduate Placement and/or the Pre-medicine Office to sign up for emails alerting you to events, steps you should be taking to help you plan for after graduation, and other information to aid in your success at and after Xavier.
Link to Graduate Placement: http://www.xula.edu/gradstar/
Link to Premed Office: http://www.xula.edu/premed/
Find mentors within the major that you select.
Typically find seniors, juniors, even sophomores who are in that department and talk to them about their experience in that major. They will know who the best professors are and can give you insight on what you will experience in the future.
Be cautious when listening to advice about professors. If a student is very negative or positive about a professor, ask why they like or dislike the professor. If the student didn’t come to class, never did their assignments, and subsequently failed the course their input would not be as valuable as a student who went to office hours, attended tutoring, completed the assignments, studied, took notes, and attend classes. Do not let the student’s grade in the course deter you from taking a certain professor. However, if you speak to a couple students and you hear the same positive or negative feedback then they are probably assessing the professor without much bias.
It is ok to be undecided. You can start college as an “undecided major” and take your essential core classes in order to learn what classes catch your interest that you may want to major and take upper level classes in.
Make sure you are choosing your major for the right reasons. Choosing your major is one of the most important decisions you will make upon starting college. Make sure that you are selecting a major that encompasses your career and personal goals. Even though your family and friends may impact your decision, it is ultimately your decision as you will be completing the program. Choosing a pre-professional major solely for money is not the best idea because you are probably as not passionate about the subject as you are about the financial reward associated with the career.
Research the curricula for the majors you are interested in the catalog to understand what courses you will be taking or have the option of taking. Research the topic/title of the classes you are expecting to take so that you understand what is expected of you to get your degree. There may also be a service learning or internship component required to get your degree.
Ask a professor in that department about their experience getting their degrees. Even though they completed their bachelors degree at least five years prior, they have taken the same class that you will be taking (maybe even with the same professor) and can offer insight about what the course intensity is like. They may also give you advice on the order or combination to take courses in as well as being able to offer insight about the teaching styles and structure of the courses as taught by their colleagues.
Develop a close relationship with your adviser. They can aid in your success in that major but can also provide advice for changing your major should you decide to.
