What major do I put down on my college application
Friday, November 20th, 2009Dear Babs,
I’m applying to colleges this winter, and I’m stumped. Some of my college applications ask me what I want to study, and I don’t know! What should I put down? Will they penalize me if I say I don’t know? Can I change my mind?
-Majorless in Minnesota
Dear Majorless,
Don’t worry, you are not expected to know exactly what you want to study. Colleges are looking more for an idea of what field you are interested in, not a specific college major. Just think of your best subject, and choose something in that field. All A’s in English? Write down English Lit or Communications. Love science? Biology or chemistry. Just make sure the school actually offers that major.
The one exception to this rule is if you are applying to a specific program, which you should not be doing if you don’t know what you want to study. An example would be the School of Communications at Syracuse University, or School of engineering at Tufts University. These school’s offer tailored academic programs for very focused students who know that they want to go into that specific field, and so they often expect you to declare your major right away.
So long as you are applying to a general program, like a liberal-arts college, or a school of Arts and Sciences at a big university, you should have no problem. Just put down whatever subject you are likely to major in, and figure out the rest as you go along.
Good luck!
Babs
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