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Adam the Fish Offline
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Name: Adam
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Re: Choosing The Right College Major - December 29th 2013, 05:54 PM

Oh my God, you got your first draft up within a couple of days of posting the thread.

Seriously, thanks for being so prompt, and for a great-looking article. Edits!


Choosing The Right College Major
By KW (Pearl_dullahanSweet Rain ☆)

Graduating from high school is one of the biggest achievements worth celebrating. It means you are readydenotes readiness for the next steplevel of your education. Preparing for a university entrance exam and choosing where to study areis not as easy as ABC[Adam: I'm not sure whether it might just be easier to say 'as easy as it first looks' or 'as easy as it sounds'?]. That applies to choosing what you are going to learn in college too. I; it is no longer a secret that university students commonly change their field of concentration in the middle of the year.

Moving from one major to another is not forbidden because for some people, it might help discover their passion and what they really wish to study. Nonetheless, a fixed choice of major from the beginning is better due to the fact not all universities allow students to move to a different major before graduating.

So, what can you do to decide which major is the right one for you?

1. Look back to your high school years

This is usually used as a first step for some people to weigh their decision between several promising majors. All you need to do is ask yourself whatwhich lesson(s) you really liked back at high school.

Bear in mind that lessons you love are not always the ones you can easily get a sky high grade, although if you love that lesson you will automatically push yourself to do your best. This includes doing a test as well.[Adam: I feel like this sentence could benefit from expansion.] Should you truly like a class, you may find yourself feeling energized and curious while learning or go to a deeper context about what you have learnt by looking up challenging questions related to the subject online. P - perhaps you feel the need to know more about it.

After that, remember what kind of clubs or organizational activities you have joined during your three years as a high school student. Try thinking about the club or activity that piqued your interest. Maybe you used to be a member of the creative writing club of your school, and you poured your heart out on your writings during club time.

2. Know your passions, talents, and hobbies

You may have heard this classic quote: "Follow your passion, and success will follow you." As cheesy as it sounds, this proves to be true for everyone who gives it all they gothave in what they do. Here comes another self-questioning session. You need to know what you really like to do and what you are good at. Do you wish to contribute for the to a 'better world' with what you have after spending four years in college? If your answer is yes, then you are one step closer to a decision.[Adam: I'm slightly unsure about whether one must answer 'yes' to make a decision; surely any answer will get one closer to a decision, if any answers do? What aspirations don't contribute positively to the world somehow anyway?]

Are you constantly thinking about how the world's environment can be better? Do you collect something related to your interest? For instance, you love reading and you have a big collection of literary books ranging from time to timemany different eras. Do you like doing something else and at times without you knowing it, time flies when you are occupied with your hobby? What have you achieved with your gifttalents, and what do you hope to achieve?
Getting to know yourself is beneficial for deciding your major deciding.

3. Find your personal values

The next step is to discover what you really wish to obtain from learning in a major. What motivates you to gain more knowledge regarding a certain major is also important for choosing your future. Studying about something just because someone else says so is a jeopardy for your motivation fuel. Go aAsk yourself what your dream job is, and what kind of working methods you prefer. Is it in a team or by yourself? Whatever you choose, there is no right or wrong answer. Also, ask yourself this question too: what are your plans after obtaining your bachelor's degree?

Finding a major that fits your personality and mindset is crucial to keeping your determination alive while studying. You wouldn't want to feel out of place in your major before graduating, thus losing motivation before you reach the end of your studies. For instance, cChoosing Applied Mathematics concentration is not for you if you are not in the analyzer category and you feel your logic cannot bind your creativity.[Adam: I'm from a different country than the primary audience for this article, I know, but this last sentence was incredibly confusing to me. I presume a US audience would understand it better, but...the 'analyzer category' - what's that? etc.?]

4. Don't let public opinions get to you

We grow up with society's doctrine about which majors are more prestigious. We have been forced to believe that if we enter a major that suits our heart's aspiration but not considered as one of the trending majors by society, we will end up poor and unemployed. Even if society says our major of choice is filled with people who are left behind, don't let it confuse your heart.

Choosing a prestigious major with expensive fees deluded by pride's ego is dangerous from many aspects. Psychologically, financially, and physically. If you choose the wrong major that your inner self does not want, then congratulations. You will make your parents spend a high amount of money for tuition fees in return of useless bachelor degree and a deprived or dropped out soon-to-be-graduate.

Whatever you have found in your heart, stick to it. Just because the public says otherwise of your choice, never let what they see as right get to you.

[Adam: I found quite a lot of this a bit confusing and I'm not quite sure how much the almost political statements about society contribute to the article. Because my edits turned most of it orange, I decided to cut it out and rewrite it. If I'm missing something, and Chess disagrees with me, it's still there in red and can be reverted.]
Society can give a lot of ideas about which majors are 'the best' or most prestigious. It can even give the implication that choosing any majors other than the select popular few will leave you poorer or unemployed. Whilst it's important to be realistic about job prospects after college, it is unwise to choose a subject simply because it seems like something which can give a highly paid career, or because other people say it will suit you.
Weigh up the chances of success, and learn about something you have a passion for. Choosing a major which you don't really care about will mean that you have little enthusiasm, thus learning less effectively and being unwilling to use your qualification (if you manage to finish it at all) upon graduation.

Making this sort of peer-pressured choice is a mistake which can be costly financially, psychologically and physically, so it's incredibly important to avoid doing so.


Now thatOnce you have known what to choose, have fun preparing your college application. College is only a once in a lifetime four years long experience which lasts only four years, so make it memorable! Of course, the first step of making your university years more memorable is to be true to your heartself about what you like and wish to study.


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Last edited by Adam the Fish; December 30th 2013 at 02:25 PM. Reason: Reflecting Username Changes