How to Choose a Major

It is much more difficult to pass up fun, social activities and focus on your studies if you are undecided about what you want to major in and do with your life.   Also, there is a lot of pressure from colleges and universities to declare a major early in your academic career, but making this decision often is hard.  Here are some things to do as you start to explore your options:

If your institution has a Career Center, take advantage of that.  The people there are trained professionals to help you with this decision and can give you expert guidance and advice.

See if there are any Career Exploration classes available.

Take advantage of computer-based inventories such as the Myers Briggs.  That particular one will lead you to consider such things as whether you like to work with people compared to more independently or if you like a fairly rigid schedule compared to a spontaneous and flexible one.

Listen to your heart.  What are you doing when you feel the most fulfilled and excited?  In the past, what have you done when you felt very satisfied about your day?  Can these be incorporated into a career or will they be your hobby and recreational activities?

Look at the government websites about job availability and future growth.

Read the course descriptions in your college catalogue.   Which ones sound interesting or boring?  That could give you some information about what you are interested in.

Over break or vacations consider shadowing people in various careers.  You want to know what they actually DO on a day-to-day basis as opposed to how glamorous their job sounds.  (This may take a little work to find these people.  Ask your parents’ friends, your friends’ parents, people from your church, people you talk to on a regular basis.  Most people love to share what they do and are very willing to help a young person along in their career choices.)

Many people are working in a field different from their major or only slightly connected to their major. 

Remember that some of the most important things you will learn in college include critical thinking, independent learning and problem solving.  These skills transfer across all areas.

Good luck!

Why Are You in College?

I have been reading final papers from an Early Entrance Experience  program I taught one week before our regular semester started.   One of the topics the students wrote about was their decision to attend college. Many of them wrote that they found it useful and motivational to consciously think about their decision now that they were actually on campus.

As I am writing this it is now a few weeks into the semester.  You are probably finding the work more demanding than you expected.   This is a good time to pause and reflect on the same topic – why are you in college?  Why did you make this decision?

* Was it assumed you would attend college and there was no other option –OR- did you make a conscious choice?

* Does everyone in your family have a degree –OR- will you be the first?

* Do you have successful examples to live up to –OR- are you setting the example for younger siblings and relatives?

* Do you want to live up to someone’s faith in you –OR- do you want to prove wrong the people who said you could not be   successful?

* Do you have a clear career goal –OR- are you searching for the right major for you?

Whatever the answers are to these questions, you are the one responsible for your success.  Thinking about why you are in college will go a long way toward keeping you motivated and on track.

Take Care of Your Health

 How you feel physically has a big influence on your ability to learn. Plan to take care of yourself in these three ways:

• Sleep: The best way to get a good night’s sleep is to go to bed and get up at about the same time every day. Naps are fine, but a nap is about 20–30 minutes. If you get into your pajamas and under the covers, you have gone back to bed! Too much sleep during the day can disrupt your sleep at night and take away from valuable study time.

• Exercise: Exercise has multiple benefits—it helps your brain function well, gives you energy, helps keep your weight under control, and helps you fight off germs. Most schools have beautiful fitness centers and organized classes—take advantage of what they have to offer.

• Good nutrition: On many college dining plans you can eat whatever and whenever you want, but there is no one to remind you to plan or eat balanced meals. Remember to eat from a variety of groups and include fresh fruit and vegetables. Don’t go crazy with sugary desserts and fried food.

 The better you physically feel, the better you will be able to concentrate and learn.

 

Things to Consider at the Beginning of the Semester

Whether you are a freshman or a returning student, there are several things to consider at the beginning of each semester.

• How are your classes scheduled throughout the day?  Is there time to study between classes?  Will you, or will you be tempted to go back to your room and relax or nap?

• Exactly when and where are you going to study?  Make sure you start the habit of enough study time this first week!

• How are you going to keep your assignments and exams under control?  Where will you record your assignments?   Make sure it is someplace you look at every day.

• How are you going to keep all of your class material organized?   Will you use one large notebook or individual notebooks?  Will you have a folder for each class?

• Are you able to buy your textbooks?  If not, ask your professor if you can borrow one or use one in the Library.

• Do you understand your school’s technology system – any programs your professors are using, the formal email account, etc.?   Many professors will not answer email from an outside account plus you will miss any all-class emails the professor sends if you are not using your school account.

• What is your plan to stay healthy?  When will you exercise?  What exactly does it mean to eat a healthy diet?  

• What help is available if you get sick?  Think about it now, not if it actually happens and your feel terrible.

This is a lot to organize and we have not yet thought about how you will actually LEARN the material from your classes.  That will be next week’s topic.  Until then, enjoy your academic experience and start the semester with good habits!

Returning for the Fall Semester

If you are a returning college student headed back to college, here are some things to think about:

                                                    

If you are doing well:

• What learning strategies do you use that work well for you?
• What academic habits do you have that are helping you be successful?

If you are struggling:

• What have you been doing (or not doing) that is getting in the way of your success?
• What positive steps can you take this semester to improve things?
• What concrete learning strategies can you add to your studying?

For all students:

• What classes are you taking this semester?
• How are they spaced out during the day?
• What will be good times for you to study?
• Which class will be the most challenging?  What will make it challenging?  What learning strategies can you use in that class?  Is there help on campus for that class?

Think ahead and plan now how you will approach the semester.  Then hit the ground running that first week. 

 

Keep Learning Over the Summer

If you are not taking classes over the summer, what can you do to keep moving forward in your academics and future career?  Here are some ideas:

• Read the newspaper.  Look for articles that connect to your major as well as any Liberal Studies classes you are taking in the fall.
• Read books that pertain to your major.
• Read anything!  This keeps your brain working and improves your vocabulary.
• If you will be taking courses in the fall that involve math, do some work to keep up your skills – get a workbook and study, go to www.freerice.com and do some practice problems, get a math book from your local library and review.  There are multiple options!
• Consider doing some service for others.  Not only does this prepare you for the working world, you will gain leadership experience and have something to put on your resume.
• If you have a job, pay attention!  What is happening in the business?  How are people interacting?  How can you use this experience to your advantage?
• If you know someone working in your future field, ask if you can accompany them to work for a day or a few days.  Ask questions.  Learn all you can about the field.

There are always ways to move forward and gain knowledge and experience.  Be aware of what is going on around you and be open (and prepared!) for opportunities.

Learning Through Your Senses – Muscle Movement

Many students like to be on the move – they don’t like to sit still.  They get restless during long classes and have a hard time paying attention.  They don’t like to sit and read or listen for a long time.  If they want to learn something, they prefer to do it themselves as opposed to reading the directions or having someone tell them what to do.   If this is you, here are some ways to add large and small muscle movement into your studying:

• Make and use study cards.  You will like the manipulation aspect.
• Take notes, rewrite notes, make charts, graphs and study guides – you are using small muscles!
• Likewise, annotate when reading.  The small muscle movement of writing will help keep you engaged.
• Take your review chart and study it while on the treadmill or exercise bike.
• Tape your notes and listen while walking or running.
• Make use of small segments of time by carrying your study cards with you.
• Try to avoid 3 hour, once-a-week classes if possible.  If you must take a long class, be sure to get up and walk around during the break.
• When studying, take breaks every 30 minutes or so.  (By a “break” I mean a few minutes to walk around, not two hours to hang out with friends!)
• Seek out classes with a lab component or where students do projects as opposed to exams.

Any way you can add movement will help you stay on task and learn!