Choosing Your Major? Unsure of your options?

For many students, picking a major and/or minor can be a very intimidating and daunting task. Should you major in Chemistry or go for a major in Communication with a concentration of Political Economy and Policy, or do a double minor in Linguistics and French?

If you are not sure, that is okay. Matthew J. Foraker, a research coordinator at Western Kentucky University, did a study and discovered that major-change activity – changing from undeclared to declared, or one major to another – is a proxy for being engaged. What he discovered is that students who entered university without a major but declared before the end of their second year had the highest graduation rate, 83.4 percent of which was ten percentage points higher than the next most successful group of students. Foraker also guessed that students who chose a major before the end of their second year might fare so well because they took the time to gather information and pick a discipline that best suits them. He also learned that changing majors happens far less than it is assumed, and it does little harm if it is done early in your academic life. In fact, he discovered that six percent of students changed their majors more than once, and about 70% never changed their major at all.

In other words, the fact that you are choosing to declare a major shows that you are informed and ready to take on the commitment instead of rushing into any major from the beginning.

So fear not, dear SFU students, as you have a lot of resources and people to help you.

Looking to figure out what major you are interested in? Career Services career educators are here to help you discover who you are, and gather information and take action. So make an appointment with either your faculty advisor, or check out Career Services, and Academic Advising, where they can help plan your degree!