Choosing a major in university comes easily to some people, and others struggle even in their third year. For a long time, I struggled to find what I truly love to study. I want to share my story of how I chose my major and how I approached the process of doing so, hoping that it will help those who face similar frustrations.
Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash
Initially during my application process for UBC, I had chosen my possible major as Economics and had written my personal statement with regards to that as well. It was my favourite subject in school so it only made sense that I would pursue this further in college. It was not until after the application process that I found that I would require math in order to study Economics. Unfortunately, I had promised myself I would never touch another math equation after my grade 12 exams and I meant to keep this promise. So, I searched for a similar program and stumbled across International Relations. At the time, it seemed like the perfect subject. It had Economics courses as well as other interdisciplinary courses. I signed up for a standard time-table under the Coordinated Arts Program and hopped on a plane, destined for UBC.
Hence began the depressing start of my first semester as a UBC student. I did not anticipate the workload, I did not understand any of the contents of my courses and most of all, I was not interested in any of the subjects, save one. Sociology. Due to this, and other unrelated reasons, my grade point average in first year put me so behind that by second year, I could not achieve the program minimum required for International Relations.
However, I did enjoy Sociology. So why could I not just choose that? Mostly because it felt like I was giving up and “settling” for Sociology. I felt all sorts of inferior feelings such as thinking “I am not good enough to study at UBC”, “I will never get a job”, “it is not as competitive and prestigious as International Relations”, and so on. Finally my friend asked me, “Why do you want to study IR?” That is when I realized that I did not like politics, I did not want to work for the government, working for the UN was my mother’s dream, and I hated how miserable the competition was making me. I wanted to pursue International Relations because it was a lucrative major and it aligned with my career aspirations. While that is a good approach, I learned that for me, it was more important to pursue something that genuinely interested me then learn how to extract transferrable skills from my area of study. I will talk more about this later but my point stands, focus on what makes you happy.
On that note, if you are someone like me, I want to be that friend who asks you:
Why do you want to study the major you want to study?
If possible, maybe you can get a piece of paper and write down your answers to this and the other questions below.
Is it your choice or someone else’s?
When you reflect on your choice of major, consider any external influences that are affecting your choice. Being inspired by someone can be good but be wary of peer or family pressures. It can be hard to get out of the bubble of their expectations but if you are unhappy in your major, that is a sign.
Are you actually passionate about the topic?
Adam Leipzig in his TedTalk “How to know your life purpose in 5 minutes” talks about his peers from Yale and how only 20% of them were truly happy. Those who were happy were people who studied “for the joy of learning” and not because it was going to get them a job.
It is common for undergraduates to choose majors that seem lucrative in the job market, something that will guarantee them a career. While there is nothing wrong with that, it is important that you actually like the subject. When you are passionate about the subject, not only does academia become easier, finding a career related to it may also become a smoother sail.
Identify your transferrable skills
Your degree is not just your degree, it is more than that. In summer of 2019, I attended an Arts undergraduate and alumni meet and it changed my academic mindset for good. Among the people I met was an English major who works as a hiring manager, a Sociology major who is a team lead of a department and an Economics major who works in sales and marketing. The most interesting of all was the second English major I met: Initially, her parents wanted her to be a Biology major but she took a year break from UBC, dropped out of Biology and later, chose English as her major. As for her career, last I heard she was training to be a pilot!
This unique example emphasizes that there is no set plan for the future or what you can or cannot do with your degree. There are countless career paths you can aim for with the transferable skills you learn from your academic courses.
Choosing a major can be tough, so be kind to yourself
I understand that choosing a major is never as simple as “do what makes you happy”, and that there are complexities around this choice due to circumstances or access to resources. It can also sometimes be financially exhausting to explore options. If you are struggling and are unsure, faculty advising offices are there precisely to help you with these sorts of things. If you just want to try different disciplines, electives and other faculty requirements exist precisely for that reason. If you are truly unhappy with your major, there is nothing a little planning and talking through cannot solve. There are also other options such as, double majors, major and a minor and even dual degrees! So, do not give up without trying. No matter the outcome, do not forget to be kind to yourself.
In my experience, I was told that I needed to have my career and my future figured out before I went to university. I was told my Sociology degree will make it hard for me to find a job in the market. However, from what I have learned, university is a place of experience. You do not come here having your life figured out; you figure it out through the years you spend writing papers, creating projects and meeting people from around the world. There is no age limit to when you have to have things figured out. There are people in all phases of life at this university taking undergraduate level courses.
Don’t just take my word for it, here are other blogs by CLCAs with similar stories and advices:
- How I Navigated an Academic Dilemma by Sammy
- What I Would Do Differently If I Could Do University All Over Again by Lia
- A Student Guide to Picking Classes by Richard
- Choosing Courses at UBC Part 1: What Do I Want? By Lina
Here are resources who can work with you and help you throughout your degree:
Centre for Student Involvement & Careers
If you have questions or are worried about your career aspects relating to your major, this is the place to go. You can book an appointment with them to discuss your career path, reviewing resume and cover letters and find jobs on campus.
Faculty Advising
This is perhaps the most important and relevant place to go when you are struggling with choosing majors. Different faculties have different advising departments, for example, the one for Arts is Arts Advising. They can help with course planning, graduation requirements and help with transfer credits if you have any.
UBC Enrolment Services
They can help you with looking for scholarships and bursaries and any course registration issues.
Chapman Learning Commons
Last but not the least, you have your very own CLC Student Assistants who create blogs, toolkits, workshops and provide in-person help with academic practices, managing time and sleep and talk about our own experiences as a student to help another peer out.
There is a famous quote from one of my favourite movies that goes, “Do not run after success. Run after excellence. Success will follow you eventually.” In my opinion, the way to achieve excellence is to study what truly makes you happy.
References
Adam Leipzig. (2013, Feb 1). How to know your life purpose in 5 minutes. [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVsXO9brK7M&t=126s
