| I know that the summer before college starts is | | | | find them, do an internet search and find someone |
| supposed to be fun. I spent plenty of time hanging | | | | somewhere who is working in a career that you are |
| out with friends, hiking in the Vermont hills, and going | | | | interested in. Ask them about their educational path, |
| to music festivals. What I didn't do is think at all | | | | what their undergraduate major was, and if they |
| about my college major, and I seriously wish I had. It | | | | needed further studies to enter into their career |
| will help you honestly to take some time before you | | | | choice. |
| get overwhelmed by new classes, new friends, and | | | | 6. If someone in your field will let you come in and |
| dorm living, to have your "ducks in a row" concerning | | | | volunteer, do it! If they offer an apprenticeship, hop |
| your college major. Because believe me, four years in | | | | on it! If they will allow you to bring them Starbucks |
| college will go by really fast, and the next thing you | | | | and talk for an hour, don't miss this opportunity! This |
| know you'll have graduated with a BS in something | | | | time is precious to identify whether each career path |
| you didn't even realize you signed up for and maybe | | | | is a "yay" or a "nay". Don't wait until you are a senior |
| don't even want to use in the real world. | | | | to take an internship in your field, because this real |
| Here are 10 things you can do this summer to help | | | | life experience can help eliminate or include a potential |
| you decide on a major before you start college: | | | | career path. |
| 1. Go to your college or university's website or have | | | | 7. Research all the degrees you need to achieve your |
| them send you a catalog of all their major and minor | | | | career goal. Don't be fooled into thinking that a BA |
| offerings. Go through this list in detail and check any | | | | will land you in the field of your choice, know your |
| major or minor that may be a possibility. Star those | | | | odds. If your career goal does require a masters or |
| that sound especially good. Cross out any majors | | | | doctoral level of education, incorporate this into your |
| that are definitely not of interest to you. Question | | | | plan. There may be some things you can do early to |
| mark the ones you've never heard of before. I didn't | | | | ensure that you are accepted into the programs of |
| take a sociology class until I was in my senior year, | | | | your choice down the road. |
| when I started saying to myself, "Wow, I didn't | | | | 8. Call up your college or university and ask them to |
| know that this is what sociology is all about. This is | | | | put you in touch with someone who graduated in |
| way more interesting than psychology." At that point | | | | any of the majors you are considering. Calling the |
| it seemed like it was too late. | | | | alumni office may be the best source of willing |
| 2. Take any that you starred, questioned or checked | | | | graduates. Your mission is to ask them whether they |
| and put them in order of most interesting to least | | | | recommend the program, what they are going to do |
| interesting. This is your scale, not someone else's. | | | | with their major, what kind of classes they took and |
| And remember that it's not your father who's stuck | | | | if the classes were more "hands-on" vs. "lecture |
| with the business major you didn't want in the first | | | | style", if the teachers in this department were |
| place, it's you. So, try to narrow down the list | | | | strong, and if they prepared you for a job outside of |
| according to your priority of interests. Take at least | | | | college. |
| an hour to look up each potential subject in more | | | | 9. Determine what aspect of your major you want |
| detail. Find out what classes you would be taking. You | | | | to learn. There is a wide range of focus within each |
| want to be sure that your impression of what your | | | | major and you want to know from the start if you |
| major is all about is accurate. For the longest time, I | | | | are barking up the right tree. For example, I pictured |
| was going around telling everyone I was majoring in | | | | myself being a psychologist, working in an office with |
| psychiatry, when in fact it was psychology. | | | | people one on one. What I didn't know is that my |
| 3. Don't confine your search for your college major | | | | University offered a program that was largely |
| to your potential college or university. Ok, I know | | | | research based, not clinically based, and the closest |
| you may already be accepted and it might be a pain | | | | we got to studying about a human behavior was |
| to have to transfer or to start over again, but it | | | | through a textbook. The only live experience I had |
| beats spending four years somewhere that doesn't | | | | with anything were the rats that we studied in our |
| even offer the major of your choice, or a strong | | | | research and statistics class! Look up what other |
| program in it. Check online for a directory of all the | | | | schools' departments focus on and understand the |
| college majors you can study. If you find that your | | | | differences. Narrow down which areas interest you |
| ideal college major is not offered at your school of | | | | most. |
| choice, check out the National Center for Education | | | | 10. Schedule an appointment with your college's |
| Statistics interactive "College Navigator" and it will help | | | | career center. If they'll make you an appointment |
| you find a school that does offer it. | | | | over the summer, that's great. If you have to wait |
| 4. Take a serious look at what potential careers you | | | | until you are on campus that's fine, but make the |
| could enter with your top 5 majors of choice. If you | | | | appointment now. I hardly knew the career |
| already have a career path in mind, be sure to verify | | | | counseling center existed before my senior year, and |
| that your college path will lead you there. Not only, is | | | | even then I still didn't schedule an appointment to talk |
| it important for you to know which career you are | | | | about my future options with them. These are |
| interested in, but take some time to actually research | | | | trained people who should be able to help you |
| the career. | | | | narrow down your interests and create an |
| 5. Call and talk to 3 people in your area who are in a | | | | educational path to meet your career goals. |
| similar field (for every field of interest), or if you can't | | | | |