When it comes to choosing a college major, there are so many factors to consider - from your passion to your personality to your abilities to your future goals. It's best to choose a major that complements all four.
How did I choose my major? I graduated from UC Davis with a bachelor's in design and psychology. Coming in as a design major, I knew that I loved graphic design from the start. It was a passion I had grown through high school, attending pre-college programs at UCLA and RISD. But I'm a natural ISTJ (according to the Myers-Briggs test), and so practicality was very important to me. As a designer, I knew that I had the ability to design according to given guidelines - I could whip out a poster, or a flyer, or a brochure and do it well. But when I saw the boundless creativity of other graphic designers out there, I knew that I didn't have the creativity to succeed in the field according to my life goals. I wanted stability, and seeking out new job opportunities as a freelancer absolutely terrified me. That was the reality of the field of graphic design. So I found another field that I was passionate about - psychology. I absolutely loved psychology classes from the start, and it was a field I quickly picked up on. But doing research on the field, I found that it was extremely broad - it included industries such as human resources, business, education, and medicine. I had always loved working in the education industry, and had a passion for working with college students. With my personality, I also had a natural tendency to organize, schedule, and plan ahead in my own academics and had helped others in this aspect as well. And so, after graduating from my undergraduate career, I choose to attend a master's program in counselor education - and here I am!