All the colleges offer plenty of choices for students and it is becoming harder and harder to make up your mind especially when you understand that all your adult life may depend on that one choice. How to avoid making a mistake? There are a ton of things to consider before you commit to something. Here are some most important ones:
Time
Most programs are four-year, but there are six-year ones as well. You have to consider this fact while making your decision. Think if you are ready, both physically and financially, to commit to all these efforts and expenses.
A job market
It's one of the main factors you should consider. All your fabulous career plans will boost if there are no jobs in the field chosen. So, do some research and find the spheres that are growing and developing: maybe your will find the one that will capture your attention.
The real life
There are plenty basic factors to think of. Would you like to have a flexible schedule or work common office hours? Would you prefer being a part of a team or working alone? Different jobs offer different conditions and it's necessary to keep this fact in mind while making your decision. Thanks to different internship or volunteering programs, students can check if the field they have chosen fits them.
Your abilities
Next step is to examine your abilities. What are your strong sides? What are the weak ones? What skills are you proud of? What was your best subject at school? What subjects did you hate? What skills did you learn from summer jobs? Take a piece of paper, compose a list and refer to it while making your decision.
Your passions
It's necessary to consider your true desire. Sit down and focus on your personal feelings and needs. Just try to push all the other factors aside and concentrate on the things you absolutely know you are passionate about, you may check what majors focus around that and make up your final decision.
Don't panic
Deciding on majors and professions - this is the thing a college time is all about. A bigger part of the students change their major at least once or even more times. There is nothing fearful about it. The major you will choose will neither foretell nor guarantee your future career. Research showed that an average person changes career paths at least two times during the lifetime. So put your panic and fears aside, listen to your inner voice and do what your intuition tells you.
Narrow down
The last and the most necessary step is to nail down your options and concentrate on picking up the one. Now, at the point when all the research and self-analysis processes are done, you should see what majors you are completely not interested in and the ones that have captured your attention. There is one last thing to do - select the one. If it is still hard for you to decide, remember that you are not alone in this. You may ask your parents or your academic adviser for a help.