Your major is the centerpiece of your Weinberg College degree requirements; it is the area of study that you will explore most deeply during your time here. Students in WCAS must officially declare a major before the end of the sophomore year. Declaring a major is easy: at thedepartment or program office, you can pick up a Declaration of Major form. You will get the form signed by a major adviser, and then you can drop the form off at the WCAS Office of Studies (1922 Sheridan Rd.). You will be encouraged to set up a meeting with your WCAS Adviser at that time. Changing your major is also easy; on the Declaration of Major form, you can drop a previously declared major when you declare a new one.
But how do you choose a major? In spite of how things may appear, the majority of students arrive at Northwestern uncertain about their major. You have a wide range of majors to choose from, a wide variety of approaches to the intellectual issues most compelling to you. There is no single formula by which all students select their major, and you have many resources to help you with the decision: your Freshman Adviser, your College Adviser,advisers and Directors of Undergraduate Studies in departments or programs that interest you are all there to help, so feel free to contact them at any point in your deliberations.
While choosing a major may feel like the most important decision you've ever made, you should keep a few points in mind as you decide. Your major determines the courses you will take during your time at Northwestern; they should be courses that pique your interests, that speak to your talents and your intellectual curiosity. But your major does not have to determine what you do for the rest of your life. While your major may set limits, it will also open many doors for you. The critical thinking, analysis, and communication skills you gain in any given major can prepare you for a wide variety of careers. In fact, surveys of those who have already completed college and successfully pursued careers suggest that it can be difficult to match a list of people's careers to their college majors.
Keep in mind that while some career paths require specific coursework, any major that allows you time to complete those courses may be just fine. For instance, you don't have to be a Biological Sciences major to prepare for a career in medicine or an Economics major to go into business, but you should be aware of other course requirements for such paths. And, contrary to popular belief, law schools do not give preference to any major. Our section aboutpre-professional studies has more information about preparing academically for careers in medicine, business, and law. University Career Services can also help you think about how to connect a major to a career, and vice versa.
Choosing a major is part of the process of intellectual and personal exploration that lies at the heart of a liberal arts education. It is how you make your education your own. Ideally, as you try to decide, you should use your distribution courses and electives to try out fields that you find interesting, taking both introductory and upper-level courses to see how the subject is taught at Northwestern. Think about whether you like the type of work these courses ask you to do, the kinds of materials you have to study, the kinds of questions you have to answer, and the kinds of methods you use to answer them. Balancing these ideals with practical matters such as your ability to complete the required coursework in your remaining time at Northwestern can help guide you.
Remember: There are many advisers out there to help with decision. Taking advantage of the resources available to you can be of great benefit.
