“Help! I don’t know my major!”

Cami was more stressed about this than anything else. Nailing down a major felt limiting. And intimidating. And there were so many to choose from:

Business seemed like a safe option. 

Psychology was her favorite class this year. 

Her friend got into one university by applying as a Liberal Arts major; should she try that, too, just to get in? 

And Forensics and Criminology seemed fascinating when watching CSI. 

How could she decide?

First, we started with my student survey. It asks basic questions about her interests, skills, personality, and family work experience. Students find themselves looking at their core values and skillsets from a fresh perspective. Often for the first time! 

Second, we walked through a Roles & Identities exercise. My favorite one is from brilliant essay-writing specialist Ethan Sawyer. Cammie discovered she is an intuitive, question-asking, leader and friend. She can make anyone feel understood and comfortable using her sense of humor. Again, just doing the exercise gave Cammie language for those innate skills she uses every day.

Third, I began sharing the required courses for the majors. We picked the school at the top of her list (University of Missouri) and read the course descriptions. This changed everything:

For Liberal Arts, Cammie immediately realized she’d had no idea what Liberal Arts was! She was not interested. We crossed it off the list. 

For Psychology, the courses seemed interesting. Especially diagnosing mental health disorders. Cammie could see a little overlap between her interest, her experience, and her desire to help people. We were getting closer.

For Business, something special happened. At first, the classes were not interesting at all. So, on a hunch, I steered the conversation toward the Marketing major. That’s when Cammie lit up. Building a brand, targeting an audience, interfacing with people in-person and via social media; these were things she’d already been doing! “You mean this could actually be my job?” Suddenly it all made sense. 

Just like that, she’d identified herself as a Marketing major! Cammie felt confident. College seemed brighter. All it took was somebody to guide her, provide resources, and (most importantly) ask the right questions. 

Good news: this can happen for you, too! If you’d like some help nailing down your major, we’ve got you covered. Send a message or get started with a free 30-minute Meet & Greet today.