Undecided about your major?

Undecided about your major?

There are students who know exactly what they want to study in college and what their career goal is. However, despite what you may hear from friends or family, many students do not know what major they want. Even 50% those who have selected a major end up changing their major; some students even do so two or three times. 

Many colleges offer the option to enter the college as an "Undecided" or "Undeclared" major. There is no shame in selecting this as your entering "major". Colleges/universities with a wide-range of majors (often called liberal arts colleges), like Kean University,  offer you the opportunity to take time to decide upon with what major you want graduate. There is a core curriculum or general education courses that fulfill the degree requirements of all or most majors. You will therefore have the opportunity to take courses from various discipline, some of which you may have never encountered,  which can help you decide which fields of study you like, find interesting, and in which you can excel. 

Your faculty and/or program academic advisors, the college career office (called Career Development and Advancement at Kean University) can provide you with guidance in deciding with what major you want to graduate. keep in mind that  major could lead you to many possible careers or that a specific career could be attained via a number of majors.

 Here are a few tips to help get you started on your journey to deciding upon a major:

Do take interest inventory test.

Consult with your career center (Career Development and Advancement at Kean University)  to arrange to take any of a number of paper and pencil or computerized tests to help you hone in on where your interests lie and how they match up with professionals in already on the job and for help in interpreting the results.

What’s your passion? 

• What do you really care about?
• In what subjects do you excel? 
• What is more important to you-money or self-fulfillment? 
• Do you prefer to work with people, data, or things? 
• How long do you want to be in college or graduate school?
• Finish this sentence: Others who know you well think you would be successful as a ...

Research majors and careers.

There are many books to review and online sources to research to help you find out more about majors and careers. The College Board is one free online source for information about majors and careers: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/majors-careers. The Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance (available in college and public libraries) and the Occupational Outlook Handbook are two other worthy resources for your research. 

Research degree requirements. 

Closely review the required courses, especially the major courses,  for degrees in majors in which you find that you have an interest. Your faculty advisor or the Dean's office can direct you to this information or you can probably find this information on the college website (at Kean University, the "curriculum guidesheets" and "four-year plans" will be your resources for this information and can be found online at http://www.kean.edu/KU/Degree-Programs). 

Seek out assistance. 

• Visit you college career center (Career Development and Advancement at Kean University.
• Consult with your favorite faculty and your faculty or academic advisors  
• Discuss your dreams for your future with your freshman seminar instructor (your T2K instructor at Kean University). 

Be Prepared for What College Brings

Be Prepared for What College Brings 

College brings a higher level of expectations for coursework, more responsibilities,  additional freedom, and increased personal accountability. 

Recently, in an  AskReddit thread, redditor Sic_vita_est asked "What should a high school senior know before going to college?"

200 of the best replies were posted. See below for some of the answers:

You are a different person in college:

"You're not a cool kid anymore. When you go to college, everyone resets to zero..."—machinehead933

"Very often High School Superstar turns into College Degenerate, and High School Loser turns into Life Of The Party."—Dreadgoat

"The day after you graduate high school, your social standing in the class hierarchy no longer applies. It's a clean slate so don't act like you're the big man on campus." —xeskind30

Be social and make new friends:

"Make some friends. Even if they're just a semester buddy to help you with a class, it'll help. College is something you can do by yourself, but you'll lose a lot of sleep and hair."—DolitehGreat

"College classes aren't like high school classes. They can be hard. You need to have friends in your classes to study with and to help you out when you don't know what you're doing. This can be vital." —Crepe_Cod

Attend networking events:

"This is just as important as going to class will be for the rest of your college career. Seriously, friendships are forged and memories are made at these stupid things. You'll still be talking about these events four years later at graduation."

"It is really tempting to settle in and nest when you first get there — unpacking your stuff, sorting out your room, etc. SKIP IT. It can wait a couple days while you run around campus doing random nonsense." —purplepeapod

Your professors are not your parents:

"Professors are there to teach the material and help your understanding of the material. They are not there to tell you that you're special, that you can do anything, or spoon feed you answers." —slyscafe

Invest in your professors:

"I think getting to know professors is something most people don't realize is as beneficial as it is. This isn't just a 'know their names' because I had those. But I got close with a few teachers, and even though I wasn't an A student, they gave me good letters of recommendation. And their office was always open to me for advice, chatting, or homework help for other classes." —namer98

Get an internship:

"I interned for three out of my four years and had so many job offers after college it was insane. It gets you knowledgeable in your field, typically gives you money (don't settle on unpaid internships, they're a joke), and can give you 1-4 years of work experience which will influence your paycheck and job offers right out of college."

"I easily made double what my friends made (had 3 years of real experience), and got offers where others were still unemployed trying to desperately break into the mark. For my last year I actually was able to claim my paid internship as credits toward my degree. It's a win-win." —Scyth3

Get hired:

"I studied engineering, but while my other classmates were excelling in class and getting way better grades than me I held a job for 2.5 years (as a videographer), joined a service fraternity, and lead a local volunteer group, and got a 3-month internship."

"I was one of the first of all my graduating classmates to get a job even though others had much higher grades. So hold any type of job, find leadership positions in anything, and have a great time in college." —ivegotagoldenticket

Increase your writing skills:

"A great idea and thesis doesn't mean a thing if you can't communicate the message. Seriously, learn to write well. It will help you the rest of your life for any white collar career." —b_tight

Gain an understanding of student loans and what they mean for your future:

"Student loans are no joke. If someone had impressed upon me the reality of starting my adult life with $100k in debt, and specifically what the monthly cost of that debt vs. what my realistic salary expectations would be, I'd have completely reconsidered how I approached college." —Gingerinthesun

Take your academics seriously:

"If you lose it, you are screwed. I knew exactly what grade number I needed in each class every semester to keep my 3.25 average and not lose my scholarship." —hpstrprgmr

Get up when the alarm rings:

"Put your alarm on the opposite side of the room. It forces you to walk when you wake up in the morning, and by the time you get there you should realize you need to stay awake." —Aptimako

Always go to class:

If you skip a class, is suddenly seems so appealing and easy to skip next class. And next's week's classes. Until you realize you haven't been to class in weeks. Don't skip class the first time." —detritusinsideus

"Go to class. This is important for two reasons: (1) Just being there, whether actively participating or not, is half the battle. You will pick up much more than you think just being present. Thus, "cramming" for finals isn't so terrible later. (2) Your professor will know who you are and that you are always in class. This may come in handy if you get sick/have an emergency situation later that prevents attendance when it is mandatory or are late on an assignment. Professors who know you are much more likely to cut you some slack than someone who is just a name on their roster with out a face."—labarrister

"Go to class. You have to take responsibility for your own future now. It's up to you whether you want to sleep all day or be successful in life. Make the right choice, even if it's the hard one."

"This is really, really hard to do when you have calculus at 9 a.m., but you just have to do it. Skipping class can be OK sometimes, but you should never make it a habit." —Punksworth

Try something new:

"Do things that you never would have done in high school. Do things that fall way outside your comfort zone. Do it because you can and because you'll never know what you love if you don't find it. And you find it by doing new things. I grew up with a mindset that you either did something perfect or you didn't do it at all. And I was scared to try new things. Go out and do new things. This is very sound advice." — StickleyMan

Adapted from:  http://www.businessinsider.com/what-young-people-should-know-before-going-to-college-2013-7#ixzz33aVlbCZl

Your To-Do List Before You Start College

Your To-Do List Before You Start College

Use your summer months wisely to make the most of college in the fall:

Plan your summer. 

Set your alarm clock every morning, Plan your day. It will be easier to get up for your early morning classes if you didn't sleep in every day during the summer. 

Work.

Look for a paying job, a paid or unpaid internship or job shadowing (even high school students can get internships), or volunteer work for the summer Start building your resume now. 

Investigate. 

Do some online research into the college major you have chosen and the careers associate with it. Having a goal in sight will keep you motivated during your college studies. Get on the email lists of the professional associations for your field of study. 

Read.

Read for both enjoyment and for college. Pick up some interesting books and read for fun   during the summer. Buy your college textbooks for your fall classes and review them. 

Plan your finances. 

You will need to budget your expenses in the fall so start doing it in the summer. Pay attention to what money you have and how you are spending it. 

Live a healthy lifestyle. 

Staying up late at night during each day of the summer, eating junk food, and partying will leave you drained before the semester even starts. Leave late nights for the weekends only. Go to bed at a reasonable hour and wake up the same time every day. Eat healthy foods-you don't want the notorious "Freshman 15" pounds added to your weight before you even start your college classes. 

Spend time with family and friends. 

Be thankful for the friends and family you have and express your appreciation. You may need to seek out support from them during your first semester or two at college. T