The selection can be daunting, what with thousands to choose from...

I got a call from my cousin today, who is settling in to start college in Boston.  She’s a bit concerned about choosing classes, since she has yet to settle on a major.  The pressure is high for her to choose a major that she will excel in, which is no easy task, given her unfamiliarity with the language she will be taught in.  Additionally, because of the huge cost to study in the states, she’s under a time limit to complete a degree in the standard four years.  It may not be a huge problem if she didn’t want to double major.  But of course, college always presents itself as a major changing force in a person’s life, whether they have trouble choosing what to study or they need to adjust to life away from home.  It’s never easy, is it?

In my faltering Chinese, I advised her to try to find classes that she needs to take anyway to satisfy requirements.  I didn’t know how to say “general education” classes, but I described classes that overlap with needs and she mentioned she does have certain types of classes like science and math that she needs to fulfill no matter what.  I also explained to her how my dad and I don’t believe the major really does that much.  What it comes down to is the skill sets you learn from each type of degree – in the sciences, the scientific method and critical thinking; in the arts, writing and critical analysis.  From there, there are many directions you can go.  I recommended that she go talk to the professors in the areas she’s interested in to ask them about possible career paths and insight into their respective fields and she mentioned a dean, which is also a great idea.  Too bad she doesn’t remember his/her name and isn’t sure where to track down said dean…

From personal experience, I also encouraged her to take advantage of that which I never really did – office hours and tutoring.  Those resources are readily available to her and that extra effort and commitment can really go a long way.  Sometimes I wonder how I would have fared if I had gone to use those resources, but I don’t exactly regret not.  I got through my double degree just fine without, with a few minor stumbles along the way when classes got tough.  I’m still working on not always being oh so independent in certain areas, like studying.  It’s one of those things that you really have to train yourself to get used to though.  I hope she does better in that arena that I ever managed.

It’s funny how people get so worked up over what to major in in college.  Haven’t we all gotten the memo?  Except for highly technical jobs, a major is no sure indicator of employability or knowledge and skill set.  So why is that people still feel it is so important to choose the right one when you’re only 18-20 or so?  It’s one of those unfortunate myths that people are well aware of, but still choose to believe.  There’s so much more than taking an exact set of classes to learn the skills truly needed to be a good worker.  I think employers are understanding this more and more, but parents don’t always get news, I guess.  I hope that my cousin can choose a major she really enjoys or at least is interested in and that my uncle will understand that it’s not that decision that matters most, but what she does with her time while studying for her degree.