College Majors

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I'm feeling like it's getting to be that time for me... time to declare my college major(s). Being only a freshman I still have many options open to me, and that's scary! I have already declared a major in art studio, but I need to decide whether I want to double major with physics or art history. There are just too many opportunities, and I don't know what to do!



So... I'm curious - what did you guys major in if you went to college (or what are you majoring in right now)? How did you decide without wasting valuable time?
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Comments

  • Reply 1 of 31
    vargasvargas Posts: 426member
    I'm doing Economics
  • Reply 2 of 31
    Biomedical Science
  • Reply 3 of 31
    applenutapplenut Posts: 5,768member
    Architecture



    although it feels more like im majoring in crew
  • Reply 4 of 31
    cooopcooop Posts: 390member
    Computer Engineering/Computer Science
  • Reply 5 of 31
    International Relations and History. I declared my international relations major soon after my first semester freshman year. I had no idea what kind of career I wanted (and still don't, although it's my senior year and need to decide soon!) but I figured that it was important that I just choose something I was interested in and go from there. I've been really happy with that decision. Even though I don't think I'll go for a job in foreign affairs, I've enjoyed my education and what I've learned can be transfered to multiple situations. So I'd advise that you just pick something you enjoy. You'll be spending a lot of time with it!
  • Reply 6 of 31
    lucaluca Posts: 3,833member
    I started out in Food Science but next semester I will have changed to Technical Writing in the department of Rhetoric. I'm still interested in science but I learned that I really cannot handle the pure sciences - they're just too heavy for me.
  • Reply 7 of 31
    scottscott Posts: 7,431member
    You want to do physics.
  • Reply 8 of 31
    physics is easy. i might have done that if i could do it all over again...

    probably astronomy.
  • Reply 9 of 31
    eugeneeugene Posts: 8,254member
    Ramen and beer.
  • Reply 10 of 31
    scottscott Posts: 7,431member
    Easy? I still remember the homework problem from my mechanics prof. You have a planet spinning on an axis. On an angle 45 degrees from the axis you are going to put a mountain to make the rotation go chaotic. What mass does the mountain have to be to cause the rotation to go chaotic?



    One one person got an answer. His mass was negative and he assumed he got it wrong. Turns out he was correct. You have to dig a hole\
  • Reply 11 of 31
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Eugene

    Ramen and beer.



    Many people major in this purely by attending college.
  • Reply 12 of 31
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Scott

    Easy? I still remember the homework problem from my mechanics prof. You have a planet spinning on an axis. On an angle 45 degrees from the axis you are going to put a mountain to make the rotation go chaotic. What mass does the mountain have to be to cause the rotation to go chaotic?



    One one person got an answer. His mass was negative and he assumed he got it wrong. Turns out he was correct. You have to dig a hole\






    stop complaining. not everyone can handle it.
  • Reply 13 of 31
    alcimedesalcimedes Posts: 5,486member
    i wonder if that kid would have known that hot water freezes faster than cold...



  • Reply 14 of 31
    scottscott Posts: 7,431member
    Quote:

    Originally posted by alcimedes

    i wonder if that kid would have known that hot water freezes faster than cold...







    I still don't buy that one. Any peer review journal articles?
  • Reply 15 of 31
    i've known for a very long time that i want to be a programmer, so my major was software engineering/comp.sci. Though recently, I've rekindled my old interest in writing; probably just a hobby, but it'll be funny if it becomes more. One of my coworkers says he wasn't very interested in programming in h.s./college, but took it up as a job until his music career took off. So, like 10-20yrs later, he got a wife, and a couple of kids and stuck with his temp career. Life can throw you curve balls sometimes, and you have to learn how to make lemonade.
  • Reply 16 of 31
    midwintermidwinter Posts: 10,060member
    Wait absolutely as long as you can before you declare a major. Do not allow the system to trap you into one of the tracks before you need to be--that's what it's designed to do...get you in and get you out as fast as possible. The result is that it limits your freedom to roam around the university and sample what's out there.



    Major in something you like. That's the most important thing. You do NOT want to spend 4 years being miserable.



    I started college as a psych major, got sick of it with 2 classes left, then decided to double-major in psych and English.



    Cheers

    Scott
  • Reply 17 of 31
    trumptmantrumptman Posts: 16,464member
    I applied and was accepted into the aeronautical engineering program as a freshman at my school. I decided the engineering wasn't going to be for me even before I started and decided to do music instead.



    As I went through I really developed an interest in socialogy and communications. I was to far along to really change though so I just finished with a music ed degree.



    Nick
  • Reply 18 of 31
    Quote:

    Originally posted by Scott

    I still don't buy that one. Any peer review journal articles?



    Well, there was this "Newton's Apple" episode once...



    EDIT: Oh, and to answer the original poster's query, I was a Humanities major, Classical concentration.



    Coming into college, I wanted to be a Music major (classical music being my first love). However, I was struck by the low self-esteem bug and shyed away from the performance side of the degree's requirements.



    I then switched for a short time to Math/Computer Science during my sophomore year. My inner nerd was showing that year.



    Later, I switched yet again, this time permanently to the aformentioned Humanities degree plus a self-designed Music program. The thesis that would have capped off that latter major became too grandiose and interfered with my other classes; I called it quits with that and devoted my energy to the Humanities major.



    By the way, I do recommend designing your own series of courses for a specialized major if feasible or desired. Beyond the bonus points it gives you on your transcript, it provides a greater sense of freedom as you steer the course towards graduation. I for one often felt confined being forced to take certain classes "because I had to" for such-and-such a requirement.
  • Reply 19 of 31
    I am a political science major, though my interest in film outweighs my interest in poli sci nowadays.
  • Reply 20 of 31
    Whoever the hell said that physics is easy is not human



    Physics is well known around here (Universite de Montreal and McGill) as being the most difficult major you can find. Don't choose it as a "secondary" major. You will spend 150% of your time on it! I don't say it in an arrogant way, that's just the way it is



    If you are truly interested in physics, go for it! My first quantum theory class changed my life (How geeky does that sound??)



    Double majors are less common here. Most people I know in fact get into an Honours program where you take a large majority of your classes in your main field. For instance, I got 66 credits in physics, 18 in math and 6 in off-topic classes. The only double majors in physics are math-physics (45-45 in each) and physics-computer sc., which are still closely related. I've never heard of physics-music or others.



    Back to your case: what do you really want to do in life? 2 of your choices are related to arts. You want to work in this field? Or would you do it mainly for fun? You plan to do graduate studies? Think seriously about what you like and where you see yourself in 10, 20, 40 years!! We can't tell you directly what to do.



    Good luck!
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