if u dont know what ur studying u should probably hold off on college

Think about what classes you enjoy, or what types of things you enjoy doing outside of school. Then choose a major/career path related to those things.

For example, I enjoy biology, chem, and physics, so I am applying to biomedical engineering for most schools, and I hope to eventually go into medicine.

Don't think of it as a "this is all I can ever do" even if your degree directly translates to a specific work area (say IT/Networking or Accounting) you can still find PLENTY of work that has absolutely nothing to do with that purely because you have a degree. So just do what you like and leave the rest for the dummies. There is a reason you don't typically declare your major officially until your 4th semester. Sign up for classes you think might be interesting and see what sticks - the rest should still count as gen eds that you'd have to take anyways.

How did you pick your major?

History had always come extremely easily to me - I also racked up plenty of awards - I was in the National Geography Bee - and was the only student from a public school in Indiana to do so, and was a 2 time finalist in Purdue's "Academic Superbowl" which is basically jeopardy but for HS students where the rewards are scholarship $$ and was also the only public school student in my category (history); get fucked kids whose parents spent 20+k on their wack educations. I also entered in and won several essay contests with history related essays. The fact that I really like it helped.

I chose Econ as a minor because Economics and modern history are heavily intertwined though Philosophy and Poli Sci deeply tempted me (I still snuck some of those in as electives).

Work: I worked in a factory all through college and shortly after college and due to injuries suffered there I spent another 5-6 years on the dole for being made unable to work. Then after tons of physical therapy and medication I was able to recover and went for the plan I'd been on 6 years prior, which was to go to graduate school. While in Grad I was made aware of several positions opening at my local history museum (the most highly funded county museum in my state) and I applied and took all of them for myself and promptly dropped out of school.

Now I live the dream. As examples here are some of the things my fellow history alumni are doing with their history degrees:

* Continuing education seminar speaker (basically going into high schools and teaching teachers how to teach history better)
*HS basketball coach
* Elder Law (lawyer)
* Divorce Law (lawyer)
* Grant writer in Manhattan (non-profit)
* Supervisor at UPS
* Director of local economic growth council (not in my county - non-profit)
* Logistics Manager (factory/distribution)

#2, As a college student, this is terrible advice. A HUGE percentage of college students change their major while in college, so not knowing exactly what you want to study does not preclude you from attending college.

As for advice, I would say take as many survey courses in as wide of a range as possible the first year. For example, if you were into sciences, I would suggest taking an intro Chemistry, Math, Physics, and Biology course first semester. After that, just follow what you like doing. You shouldn't feel pressure to have a master plan for your next four years.

There's always time to change and life uh, finds a way.

I liked robotics/math/science in high school. Decided to go to an engineering school.

Liked mechanical engineering, design/problem solving. So I majored in mechanical engineering.

Liked trains since I was a little kid. Said why not, applied to work on the railroad.

I am now a management trainee for the railroad in the mechanical department - the people who fix locomotives. I don't use much of what I learned in college with my degree, but the degree got me in the door. For a lot of companies, they hire college grads because college grads learned how to solve problems/deal with stress/make decisions etc., not necessarily because of what they know.

If you have a hobby that can be applied into a major (if you like programming, cs) I'd say that should be the first thing you look at. As a cs major myself, most people I know who enjoyed programming beforehand (even if they didn't do too much) tended to do well in the courses (though some people who never did before also picked it up and liked it, but they were not most).

If you have anything you want to learn on your own, a university course is probably the best way to motivate yourself to do it. That would be another thing to consider, if you're interesting it in, you will not only likely enjoy it but also have an easier time with it than many other people.

In the case of careers, your degree opens doors to some but connections do too, and your degree does not tie you to anything. A surprising amount of people in my courses now are people who've worked in cs-related jobs before, but want to get formal schooling for it (either pushed for by their employer, or because they would be more employable in what they already do). Though connections are arguably harder to build and if you have two choices in major with one having plainly better job prospects, I would consider that one all other things equal.

I've known people who entered university/college with a vague idea what they wanted and ended up loving what they did, but I've known just as many who switched majors after a year because they just didn't like / couldn't do what they first majored in. That said, realize that most other people also have no clue what they're supposed to do, and as much as it can seem like an expectation, don't let it pressure you too much. One thing you'll learn pretty soon is that most people who seem like they've got their shit together are mostly just winging it too.

This is a good point. This can feel like a huge decision but try not to sweat it too much. Follow what feels rewarding to work on and what you like to do. :)

make friends, build stuff, learn to program, do essay / video / (whatever else) contests

do research, do outreach

any university worth its weight has the resources available for you to do cool shit, its up to you to put yourself out there

your major + GPA only take up at most two lines on your resume, so invest time in other stuff that's personally fulfilling and worth talking about

i had an excellent GPA, destroyed all my classes, and then when i went to write a resume i felt like i didn't really have much to show

This can actually be great advice.

I dropped out of college my first year. After a year or two doing nothing, I found work, and wound up working so hard (heh) and being so good at my job (heh) that I owned the company after a couple of years. The education I recieved doing that was far more valuable than what I would have gone into debt for in school -- and it paid me! I've talked to a few of my high school classmates and they are going to grad school now because they "don't know what else to do." Yikes.

My advice:
If you have a connection with anyone in an "interesting" industry -- like, the type of thing that you would go to college to do, not Wendy's -- ask them if you can work or intern for them for a while. It will help you to understand what the working world is like. If your parents, uncles, friends' parents, etc. do anything "interesting," ASK them if they would hire you. Do you know anyone like this? Anyone who works an interesting job? Like a wind power repair technician, or an accountant, or a construction manager? Ask them if you can work for them for a few months, just to see what their field is like. You will not fall in love with their career and discover your inner passion, but you will figure out what you DON'T want to do. It's a big if though -- don't just get a burnout job just to dope around and play video games.

Do not go into debt financing an education to "find urself." College is a little bit scammy for advertising that and saying that you can figure it all out later. You do not want to graduate in 5.5 years with a bachelor's, no work experience, and in heavy debt. And for some people, it can take 4 years to figure out what they really want. It did for me!

i don't think i've ever talked to someone about college who hasn't switched majors at least once. besides, freshman year is mostly required courses, so you shouldn't be worrying all that much. it's fine to go into college with an undecided major.

i chose music performance because i was real fuckin good at tuba. even from like freshman year i knew i wanted to go for music. i had no other skills developed outside of music and 3 years in debate.

dont pick music performance

yikes.

Don't even sweat it, pick a major that you think you will like. Diversify your classes and look into any field you think is interesting and if you like something better, change it. One of my best friends from undergrad attended as a plant science major and spent a year and a half doing that. Sophomore year he took one economics class for a distribution requirement then immediately decided that's what he was doing with his life. Now he's gonna graduate this year (one year behind me because he took a gap year) and already has a fantastic job in economics lined up. The bottom line is that as a high school senior you are not equipped with enough information to "choose a career". Anyone who says that is just dumb. Since we're on tftv I will say that's the equivalent of telling somebody who has never even played a lobby that they need to choose a class to play F O R E V E R in 6s the second they make their esea profile.

The experience of taking specific classes in a certain field is vastly different from the kind of general education you receive in high school. I took mostly hard science classes in undergrad but I think I took enough humanities etc to be sure that you can take that as a blanket statement for whatever you end up doing. I remember loving chemistry in high school and doing all kinds of chem competitions, and wanting to get a second major in chemistry. The second or third week of orgo lecture sophomore year of college I said fuck that noise and ditched that idea immediately.

The last thing I would say is don't feel boxed in even within whatever field you end up going with because most majors have a very diverse range of applications and you should explore all of them. I graduated with an entomology degree and when I first got to college I was adamant that I wanted nothing to do with the agricultural side of the field because of preconceived notions about being some kind of Monsanto drone. I ended up taking a ton of classes about agricultural ecology, biocontrol, all sorts of shit that was really interesting and while I'm not taking that direction with my career I think I'm much better for it. Don't be afraid to foray into things you find even mildly interesting because it will definitely enrich your experience.

good luck duder o7

what i meant in my post is you shouldnt go to college just to go to college, going there in hope of just stumbling onto a major you like isnt a very good idea imo

asks question, gets helpful feedback, doesn't ask any followup questions from the resources who have given their time.

hint for college: don't do that. go to marxist's office hours

Really depends on what youre situation is. If your parents are putting you through then you should use college as a time to take a variety of classes and find your interests. If youre getting student loans then I'd just say don't go until youre comfy with a major. That advice is pretty much only for americans though, the tuition is nuts down there.

Also, once youve found a major (assuming you will, though college might not be for everyone), don't be so worried about completing in the standard 4 years. I know at my university only about 18% of graduates in my program (compsci) graduated in 4 years, yet they still push it through the course schedules (told to me by the program chair himself).

Your willingness to work at it reflects your interest in it, so avoid getting into something just for money unless money means everything to you in which case youll probably be unhappy with anything u do anyways. At the same time you probably don't need to spend so much on an arts degree, just pursue that yourself. Some things just happen to be not so employable sadly. Really just avoid becoming a dilettante! Do something! Whatever it is

literally follow anything you think is gonna be the best for you, like 5 years ago I was interested into studying bussiness and then at the very last moment I regreted it because I was p insecure, and guess what? all the money I saved for my studies went down the drain because I failed. Also some people might tell you to wait (which is what I did) but believe me I waited a whole year, and that year felt like a whole decade, so it's p much up to you

Just dont do gender studies or philosophy or art unless you really plan into becoming a hardcore professional. (AGAIN DONT DO ART! THERE ARE ALREADY THOUSANDS OF "GOOD" ARTISTS REJECTED UNLESS YOU ARE 99% CONFIDENT, just do it as a hobby!)

another thing, its okay if you are worried about your future but remember that is bad overthinking it. It's like people who worry all the time about balding
And train your brain to get rid of procrastinity.