So you aren’t sure what you want to major in?
Students on average change their major between 2 and 3 times during college—including students who are 100% certain about their choice of major starting out. College is a place to explore your options and find your passion as you try new things. Shenandoah offers you a variety of experiences and majors, so that if you find a class you love you can tailor your degree to pursue that subject.
It’s okay that you don’t know what you want to do right now, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Even students that start college dead-set on a particular major are going to change their minds. You’re in a perfect situation because you aren’t cornering yourself into one set of classes. Take your time to explore your options, then when you do decide you’ll be making an informed choice that’s right for you.
I came into Shenandoah unsure about my major. Through job shadowing organized by Career Services, I realized
there are many different career paths within each degree.”Mariah Martin | Core Studies ’20
Shenandoah Will Help you Through your Major Exploration
Major Exploration With Career Services
The Office of Career Services will be a key resource for you and would love to help you narrow down majors that may be a good fit for you.
Be a Part of Core Quest
Core Quest is a program for undecided students to meet with mentors, talk to other undecided students, and attend monthly Core Quest mixers and programs during the academic year to help them to discover their perfect program.
Majoring in Core Studies
A number of students start at Shenandoah as an Undecided, or Core Studies, major. As a Core Studies major students are able to explore their options until they are certain of which major or combination of majors, minors, and certificates fit their goals.
The Shenandoah University community is full of people who genuinely care about you and want you to do well– they want you to go out and use your talents and contribute to the world in whatever way that you can. They are not worried about you pushing you towards a certain major or to join a specific club. Rather, they want you to grow as a person and find your place here at SU and in the world- and they are more that willing to help you.
Osinachi Ibe | Public Health, ‘17
College is definitely a find-yourself-time. In the midst of discovering who you are there will be mistakes, but it’s less about the mistakes and more how you choice to learn from them. There will be times when things get messy- both physically and mentally, but roll with the experiences and learn to be comfortable getting uncomfortable. Take chances and don’t be afraid to grow!
Sarah Hutchinson | Exercise Science, Pre-Physical Therapy, ’17
Meet Students of All Majors in First Year Seminar
All students take a First Year Seminar course during the fall of their freshmen year. There are over 20 different, global-themed courses to choose from. This class gets students out of their comfort zone, as different people with different viewpoints discuss a topic from multiple perspectives. These classes have the most diversity of majors out of any at SU, so they are a perfect way to meet students from across the university and learn more about their programs.
You Don’t Have to Narrow it Down to Only One Program
Majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies
The Interdisciplinary Studies program allows students with unique or non-traditional education goals to undertake an individually designed major. Combine classes from many programs into a major of your own creation!
Double or Triple Majoring
You are capable of double or even triple majoring in many of the majors at SU. This is an excellent way to impress future employers and study in all of your passions. Some programs will not be able to accommodate multiple majors within four years, your admissions counselor can help you figure out which programs will work well together. View all of the majors Shenandoah has to offer.
Add Minors and Certificates to your Major
Minors and certificates are a great way to dabble in many programs that interest you without the time commitment of a full major. Some programs require a minor. View all of the minors and certificates Shenandoah has to offer.
Coming into Shenandoah University I was an Exercise Science major wanting to pursue Athletic Training. During my Introduction to Exercise Science class we had a guest speaker who is a Shenandoah Alumni, she persuaded me to do Occupational Therapy. After the lesson I changed my major to Psychology with a minor in Biology to work closer with children.
Domonique Gholson | Psychology, Pre-Occupational Therapy, ’19
I now know that it is ok to have a general idea of what I want to do with my life, but not to have every detail planned out. Coming into SU, I thought I wanted to play in Broadway pits and act as musical director/conductor for shows for the rest of my life. Now, I don’t know if that’s all I want to do, or if I want to venture into more fields such as different types of directing or conducting. I’ve even decided to pursue another of my passions and will soon be auditioning to be a Vocal Performance double major! In short, the most important thing I’ve learned about myself is to always be open to new possibilities that I may not have considered before.
Catherine Lupien | Musical Theatre Accompanying, ‘19
I was studying biology and chemistry in order to become a veterinarian. After finishing first year of vet school, I got a chance to study in the US and majored with Associate Degree in Science. After learning about all of the subjects, I finally chose to become an accountant. My plans are to start working on my Master’s degree and acquire CPA certificate.
Vasily Vasilyev | Accounting & Mathematics | Tashkent, Uzbekistan, ‘18
