Choosing a college major is a major decision. You make one choice and then you feel like you are locked in for life. Here are some answers to your most major concerns.

When should I declare a major?
You don’t have to choose your major until the end of your sophomore year. In your first and second year, shop around. Take a variety of courses, try things on for size and then you will have a better idea of what you want to do. So relax if you don’t have it all figured out just yet. Declaring your major early on, might end up limiting you. You may not have taken anthropology in high school, and not even know that you are really into it until you happen upon it in college.

If you are in a two year program though, you will probably have to choose your major right away.

Does my major limit what my job will be?
In some cases, yes. If you study something like nursing, accounting or physiotherapy, it’s pretty obvious you’ll be a nurse, an accountant or physiotherapist. You don’t have to study rocket science to figure that out. But other majors aren’t so clear cut. For instance, if you study liberal arts, you’re not going to be a liberal artist. So if you are really interested in a major that doesn’t have a specific job attached to it, look at it more like you are developing different reasoning and analytical skills which may help you in your future career.

Once I choose, do I have to stick to my major?
Studies find that most students change their majors at least once. College is about learning new subjects but also about finding yourself and figuring out what you like to do. So if you are really unsure, pick a college that has lots of majors available so you can have different options, without having to change schools.

Do I have to study Premed or Prelaw to become a doctor or lawyer?
Majoring in premed or prelaw is impossible at just about every college. Instead most schools offer advising programs, including premed and prelaw and also preveterinary, prepharmacy that guide you through the process of preparing for and applying to professional school. These don’t count as majors, so, you’ll also have to choose one. As long as you fulfill the admission requirements, you can major in just about anything. Actually, professional schools often look for well-rounded students with a broad scope of interests.

Does choosing a major mean that I am giving up all others?
Even if you commit to one major that doesn’t mean you have to cut off all other options. You may be able to do double major or choose a minor. Or you can do an interdisciplinary major-which are usually organized around a theme and you take classes from different disciplines. Or you usually have some elective courses that you take along with your required ones. So use those to broaden the subjects you study.

Some of you have known since you were playing doctor in the sandbox that you would study pre-med in college. Others aren’t so sure. Your interests range from Anthropology to Zoology- and everything in between. Heck, you haven’t even narrowed down if it’s going to be Arts or Sciences.

We’re gonna give you some strategies for helping you figure out how to choose a major that’s right for you! And that’s major!

• Career Oriented:
  A good way to start is to decide what career you want in the future. Your dream job might decide for you. If you want to own your own business for example, you probably need to study business administration. Or if you’re a numbers guy, and accounting is your thing, then it probably makes sense that you would choose mathematics as your college major.But some jobs aren’t quite as clear cut. For instance, if you know you want to work for google, but you don’t necessarily know what you want to go there, it might be harder to decide on your major.
• Network:
  So another strategy is to talk to guidance counsellors, parents, friends and friends of parents (you get the picture—just about anyone who will listen.) They can give you ideas that you haven’t even thought about.
• Know yourself:
  Decide on what’s important to you. Money? Prestige? The Arts? This will help you choose a major that suits your interests.
• Personality Test:
  Choose adjectives that describe you best. For example, if you are savvy, creative, organized, then business, advertising or marketing has your name all over it.
  Idealistic? Legal studies, woman’s studies, peace and conflict resolution could work.
  Open-minded? International relations or religious studies might pique your interest.
  Observant? Maybe film-studies, art history or sociology is right for you.

If there are just too many options and you can’t commit, don’t worry. You don’t actually have to decide on your college major until the end of your sophomore year. And many students actually switch their majors halfway through their undergrad degree anyways.

So take a bunch of different classes in college and try different things on for size. You may end up learning something that you didn’t know. And even something about yourself.

Check back tomorrow for more major college (I mean college major) tips!