Major Myths | CLASS Advising

Adapted from the article “Major Decisions” by Michael J. Leonard, Pennsylvania State University

Did you know that studies have shown that within ten years after graduation, most people are working in careers that aren't directly related to their undergraduate majors?

Just like students change their majors, graduates change their careers. There are doctors, for example, who decide to become lawyers, and lawyers who decide to become doctors. Although these are unusual examples, it's not unusual for most people to change careers several times during their professional lives. A teacher, for example, might become a principal or a superintendent, or an engineer might move into a management position.

Most jobs also change over time, whether people want them to or not. Many jobs that exist today will be very different five years from now or may even be obsolete by then. New types of jobs are emerging every year, and most of us have no way of knowing what those jobs will be or what type of education will be needed in order to qualify for them.

The current emphasis in career planning at the undergraduate level is on the development of general, transferrable skills (e.g., writing, speaking, critical thinking, computer literacy, problem solving, team building) that employers want and that graduates will need in order to adjust to rapidly changing careers.

So if you are looking for a major, looking to change majors, or looking for how to reach your dream job, don’t get tied down by these myths.

Common Myths About Choosing a Major

Most students begin exploring majors with some preconceived ideas about how to choose a major and about the impact that choice will have on their lives. Unfortunately, many of these ideas are really just myths and misconceptions.

Myth #1

"The best way to find out about a major is to take courses in it."

Scheduling an introductory course is one way to learn about a particular major, but it may not be the best way, especially if you're just starting the exploration process. Here's why:

1. Some introductory courses will not give you a good idea of what the major is like. For example, taking a non-technical introductory course in astronomy won't tell you just how much math and physics are involved in the Earth Science major or in being an astronomer.

2. Sometimes it's impossible for students to schedule courses in a major until after they're actually enrolled in that major. (That could be as late as the junior year.)

3. If you schedule a course just to learn more about a major and then decide not to choose that major, you've eliminated one major but you still haven't chosen one. Deciding on majors by eliminating them one course at a time is inefficient and time-consuming.
You can often learn a lot about a course and a major just by looking through the required textbooks, reading the course syllabus, and sitting in on a few class meetings before deciding whether or not to schedule a course in that major.
When you are contemplating a major, a good course of action is to go talk to the chair of the department. Most chairs are eager to tell students all about the different components of their major, and talking it out is a good way to decide if that major suits you.

Myth #3

"Picking a major and a career is the same thing."

Students often think that choosing a major is the same thing as choosing a career (and vice-versa). Although these two choices are related, choosing one doesn't automatically mean you've chosen the other. Here are just a few examples:

1. Some people assume that students who major in the arts, humanities, or social sciences are either not qualified for any jobs (“What can you do with a degree in philosophy?”) or qualified only for careers in those specific areas. Actually, students who major in theatre, anthropology, history, psychology, and similar majors do find jobs in business, research, human resources, teaching, the military, and a variety of other occupations.

2. Many students who decide they want to be a lawyer automatically assume that they should major in history or political science. The reality is that a student can choose any major and still be accepted into law school.

3. Many students who decide they want to be a doctor assume they should major in pre-med but many colleges and universities don’t offer a pre-med major. The Association of American Medical Colleges has data to suggest that your major simply does not matter when it comes to getting accepted to medical school. According to their data, only 51 percent of students who enrolled in medical school in 2012 majored in biological sciences. That means the remaining medical school matriculants majored in humanities, math or statistics, physical sciences, social sciences or specialized health sciences. (U.S.News & World Report)

4. In the film Groundhog Day, Bill Murray’s love interest (another reporter) admits that she was a French Literature major in college. Although this is only important in the film for humor’s sake so we can laugh at Bill Murray poorly recite poetry, it is an important point on how your major plays into your career. Plenty of majors don’t just prepare you for a specific career, but give you skills to be applied to many different fields. We have a CCSU alum whose major in college was English, but who now works as a Foreign Service Officer in Washington D.C., while another alum majored in communication and works for a business. Choosing a major doesn't limit you to just one career; choosing a career doesn't limit you to just one major.

Myth #2

"I should get my Gen. Eds. out of the way first."

CCSU has a long list of General Education courses to choose from, but not every course on the list can be used in every major. Here are some examples:

1. In most majors, certain General Education courses can “double count” with other courses required in the major; in other majors, those same General Education courses won't double count. So, that means you could complete all of the General Education courses for one major and find that many of them won't count in other majors. You could even end up not qualifying for a particular major because you didn't take the right General Education courses, like Criminology for example.

2. It is typically better for you (and your sanity) to take some general education courses each semester throughout your 4 years of college study. Doing this helps prevent burn-out! Taking 5 English Literature courses at once for your English major is a recipe for overload. Sprinkling in a gen ed course and breaking up those Lit classes with an art or psych course will balance out your load and your brain.

Before you just take all your general educations and then choose a major, find out the basic requirements for the majors that interest you and select your General Education courses carefully. Your advisor can help you with this selection!

Myth #4

"Choosing one major means giving up all the others."

Actually, there are ways for students to combine interests in more than one major. It's possible, for example, for students to complete concurrent majors (often called “double majors”) or sequential majors. CCSU also offers many different minors, which can often be completed in little or no extra time or credits.

Sometimes students who find out how much time it would take to complete multiple majors decide instead to complete just one undergraduate major and then go on for a master's degree in another area; and, in most cases, this is the smartest course of action. Graduate degrees don't have to be in the same area as undergraduate degrees. For example, a student who earns a bachelor's degree in music might go on to earn a master's degree in business administration. Or a student with an undergraduate degree in mathematics might go on to earn a post-baccalaureate teaching certificate or a master's degree in computer science.

Myth #5

"My major will determine what I do for the rest of my life."