Living the College Life: How Do I Know if a Major is Right for Me?

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The way students describe it, finding the right major is a lot like falling in love it's not the easiest thing in the world to describe, but you know for sure when you've found it.

Maybe you won't see fireworks when your fine-arts professor describes Rembrandt's chiaroscuro technique. And perhaps your heart won't race when you dissect a fetal pig in biology class. But you should feel a spark"a sense of excitement"about at least one subject area.

Jarita Lindsey, a social work major at St. Louis University, says a field of study may be right for you if you look forward to attending class, or if you find yourself doing additional research into the subject on your own time.

An "eagerness" to learn more about a field of study indicates you're hot on the trail of a major, says Patrick Cook (Georgia Institute of Technology). He opted for mechanical engineering as his pre-medicine major at Georgia Tech after thoroughly enjoying"and acing"a physics class that covered mechanical engineering concepts.

Conversely, there are times when a field of study doesn't fit right.

Lindy Pennington (University of Nevada"Las Vegas) is a civil engineering major. He had started off as a biochemistry major, but soon discovered it was wrong for him. "I ­realized I didn't want that when I was stuck in the lab for hours . . . bored," he says.  

If you're bored by it, don't do well in the classes, or are not interested in the idea of advanced study in the field, it may be best to find something else.

But what if you realize this after you've chosen a major?