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Many students find that choosing a major takes time. It's important to work closely with an academic advisor who can expose you to appropriate alternatives and who will assist you in positioning yourself to enter possible majors without falling behind.  Ideally, you want to plan a course of study that enables you to confirm your choice or declare a major before the end of your third semester of enrollment or the completion of 45 semester credits.

Some majors (e.g., Sociology, English, Classics, and many others in the Humanities and Social Sciences) have relatively few requirements and provide opportunities to take electives or pursue a minor or an area of concentration. Other majors (such as Music, Biochemistry or Engineering) have many required courses with specific sequences, and prerequisites that should be started in the freshman year. Changing majors late in your undergraduate career may require additional time at the university, or taking required courses during winter or summer sessions.

An academic advisor can work with you to determine the major that will be the best fit for you. In some cases, courses can be applied to several majors or to general education requirements. For example, a student who is inclined toward the sciences but is not sure about which field should take introductory chemistry and calculus courses. Not only are these required for about twenty different majors in the sciences and engineering, but the student can gauge his/her level of interest, achievement and enjoyment before deciding on an academic direction. Even if some of the courses turn out to be irrelevant to the eventual major, they will count toward the 120 credits needed for graduation and meet some general education requirements, as well.

Before you can declare some majors, you may be required to take specific courses (and meet a certain GPA), attend information sessions, submit an application and/or declare during certain times of the semester.  If you are not certain about a major, try out courses in different departments to see what interests you; check out the faculty, the specialties, and the course offerings before making a decision.  Find a major that will hold your interest over time, and remember that with very few exceptions, your major does not equal your career!