Choosing Your Major

You might be surrounded by people who have already chosen their major. You might feel pressured to choose the “right” major. You might be close to choosing a major but just need some more time. Whatever your situation, remember these two things:

A major is an area of study that should help you thrive.
In order to find a major, you need to be looking.

You are looking for an area of study that you love, or can learn to love because you’ll be doing what brings you deep joy.

Here are some tips to help you find out what you love:

Get more information. Look at all the majors offered at Gordon. Visit the departmental pages and read what your faculty are saying about their field of study. Attend a departmental convocation, held in both the fall and spring, to learn about what students are doing in this field of study or to learn more about the culture of the department. Attend the Academic Majors/Minors Fair, held in the fall, to gather answers to your questions from various departments.

Talk to people. Talk to your advisor about your questions. Talk to a professor in a class you are really enjoying. Visit the Career Center to take an interest inventory or survey of your strengths and learn more about who you are and what God might be calling you to. Stop by the Office of Academic Advising to meet with a deciding advisor or a peer advisor to continue to clarify your academic interests.

Try something new. Being in college means having plenty of opportunities to try new things. This kind of exploration might be just the thing you need to help you figure out what you love. Join a club, get involved in service, attend events sponsored by various academic departments. You can also go ahead and visit a class that you're curious about—just ask the professor ahead of time.
You can start as a Deciding major. Gordon College provides the option of declaring a Deciding major for students still seeking their first major, or for those re-deciding the major they have already chosen. Declaring a Deciding major whether you are just coming to Gordon, or reconsidering the major you initially declared, gives you the chance to explore and decide your academic options within the context of the College itself. And when someone inevitably asks you what your major is, you can gladly say, “deciding.” For more information, check out our Deciding major.

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