How to Decide What to Study in College

There are several websites that give advice on how to pick the perfect major in college, but how do you know which one is your perfect major? Based on some light research and some brother testimonials, here are some ways to explore any college or university and pick something great.

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How to Pick a Major

First, how do you start to pick a major? One article by Zety  gives a step-by-step guide, of which some highlights are:

1. Pick a major pertaining to something you're good at, something you're really interested in, or something you're passionate about.
2. Do some research on ideas you may have. (Examples: Is there a market for students who graduate with a drama major? Is the chemical engineering industry growing? How many publishers are there today who have writing majors?)
3. Meet with advisors! They're experts, and there are some in every major, and even more for the umbrella of undergraduate advisors, depending on your school.
4. Talk to your parents. As much as it might sound like a cliché, whether they went to college or not, they probably have some sound advice to give.

• For example, a brother's parents went to different schools in different states, so had two different perspectives when it came to college. Her dad was in a social fraternity, and her mom wasn't as involved on campus, so both gave a very different idea of what they liked about college, or what they had wished they had done.

One piece of advice we'd like to add to this list is to join clubs! One great way to learn if something is just an interest or something you want to pursue as a career is to join clubs. Sometimes, clubs will have alumni or professionals in the respective field(s) come in and talk, so members can ask questions. 

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What about double majors and minors?

What if you have multiple interests you want to study in your college career? Consider a minor, or a double major. At GVSU, adding another major or minor is relatively easy, especially with the help of an academic advisor. For example, Several of our brothers are double majoring with Finance and Accounting, since the two programs are so similar, credit-wise.

Also, there are several minors that are compatible with GVSU general education requirements. Two of our brothers are minoring in Anthropology, which spreads over many general education requirements, and also is something they are both passionate about. (It's generally a nice bonus.)

Interested in how Grand Valley programs work? Here is a complete list of GVSU major and minor programs.

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How did Brothers Know?

We asked some of our brothers why they chose their major, or how they knew it was the right fit for them. Here is what they said:

• Andrew Jackson, Finance Major - Knew he wanted to study Finance because it combines people skills and mathematics.
• Rio Weikum, Marketing Major/Minor in Ad & PR - "I first decided to major in marketing after taking many business-oriented classes in high school. As for my minor, I decided to focus on advertising and public relations, because I felt that it tied well with my marketing major. I am so glad that I have stuck with my major and minor throughout college. As a senior, it is incredibly exciting to explore the many job opportunities that are out there for my major and minor!"
• Chelsea Smathers, Management and Marketing Double Major - "You need two basic things to have a successful business. 1) Have it be managed/ran correctly, 2) pleasing to the customer so you have the money to have a business."
• Ariana Britz, Marketing and Human Resource Management Double Major - "I chose marketing and human resource management because not only do both of these majors share similar classes, but I am very much interested in both areas of business! Human resource management promotes a lot of structure within its realm of work, which I enjoy. With marketing, you're constantly creating new relationships and building on current ones, which also grabs my attention."
• Sydney Phipps, Supply Chain Management and Finance Double Major - "I decided to double major because I needed more credits than just a single major would get me. I decided upon finance and supply chain because they compliment each other very well and gives me more options in the future career wise. By taking finance I will be able to better understand a company's financial status when making decisions around purchasing and which supply chain best fits."
• Brooke Harper, Marketing Major, Minor in Art - "I've always liked art and been creative, but I also have a number-brain and have been good at math, so I wanted to combine both. My whole family is in business, so I kind of grew up thinking that's what I wanted to do.I did DECA in high school, which is like a business competitive club, and that confirmed my decision to major in business! Since I do like to be creative, though, I thought Marketing would be the best business-related major, because it ties in both the business/numbers side of things with my artistic side."
  

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"How to Choose a Major: A Complete Guide [25+ Expert Tips & Advice]" Zety

"Guide to Choosing College Majors" The Princeton Review

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Remember, most schools allow students to wait until the end of their sophomore year to officially declare their major(s). We don't necessarily recommend this, but not everyone knows what they want to do the second they graduate high school, and many people change their minds during their college career.