If you are struggling to choose the right university major, there are a few questions that you need to ask yourself to eventually know what you want. University is a chance for you to explore your interests carefully without spending too many years there or drowning in student loans.
How to know who you are
It all starts with knowing who you are and what you want. According to Meg Selig, former professor of counselling at St. Louis Community College, and author of 37 Secrets to Habit Change Success, says, the acronym VITALS has the six building blocks that you will need to know the self. The letters stand for Values, Interests, Temperament, Around-the-Clock, Life Mission and Goals, and Strengths/Skills.
V = Value
Values serve as a guide to decision making and motivating goals, therefore, these could be principles such as “helping others,” “being creative,” “health,” and “financial security.” Knowing these will help you figure out what is most important to you and your career path.
I = Interests
Interests” include your passions, hobbies, and anything that draws your attention over a sustained period, says Selig. To figure out your interests you can ask yourself questions such as, what do you pay attention to? What are you curious about? What concerns you?. These will bring you closer to finding your deepest passions.
T = Temperament
Temperament describes your nature or your inborn preferences. The questions to ask yourself here include, are you an introvert or extrovert? Are you a planner or do you go with the flow? Do you make decisions more based on feelings or thoughts and facts? Do you prefer details or big Ideas?.
Answers to these questions will help you gravitate towards career paths or environments that make your character flourish.
A = Around-the-Clock Activities
This category specifically looks at when you like to do things. Are you a morning person or a night owl? What time of the day are you most productive? Knowing who you are will prevent you from wasting energy pretending to be someone you are not.
L = Life Mission and Meaningful Goals
This category is about asking yourself “What have been the most meaningful events of your life?”. You can tap into different life experiences that stood out the most, and that could lead to a discovery of a hidden identity and the last piece to making a career choice
S = Strengths
Strength can consist of skills, talents and abilities, but what is important to include is character strengths such as loyalty, respect for others, love of learning, emotional intelligence and more. Selig says, knowing your strengths is fundamental for building self-confidence because if you do not know your own superpower, you will lead to a path of low self-esteem.
How to choose the right university major
Once you have done the internal work it is time to apply all of that knowledge to find the perfect university major for you. Research by the Official United Kingdom Government Services recommends reading a brief overview of what the courses offer because some courses might look the same but offer totally different things.
Additionally, if you want more clarity on choices, speak to the career service advisor at the university to know more about the different career paths that you can follow with your chosen major.
Another important thing to consider is entry requirements, most universities have different requirements so be aware of that in order to secure a chance to be accepted into your desired course.
Lastly, where you study and the experience you want to cultivate in university is one the first questions you need to ask yourself. There might be only a few universities that offer the course you want so that part of your research is pivotal. You could also want the ultimate student experience of living in a shared residency away from home to build independence through exploring different cultures and ways of living.