Student’s Guide to College Majors: What Degree to Choose?
The thought of what career or college major to choose runs through every student’s mind. If you’re reading this, it means you’ve also reached that critical stage of selecting a career path. While we cannot help you choose a career, we can offer tips on how you can choose the best one for you. An essential factor to consider when choosing a college major is your future self; will you be happy with your choice?
What is the hardest degree to get in college?
Before we list some of the most difficult college majors, let’s consider what makes them hard. When we say “hard” majors, do we mean in terms of concept? We need to ask that question because what one student considers a challenging major can be easy for another student. Thus, we characterize a “hard” major based on your natural strengths and passions.
A college major becomes hard when you’re not particularly good at it or lack interest in it. From our research, we found these five courses to be the hardest majors in college:
- Architecture tops the list of the most challenging degrees to get in college. You’d spend an average of 22.2 hours a week preparing for classes, which is at least two hours more than a chemical engineering student takes.
- Chemical Engineering is the next on the list, with an average of 19.66 hours a week to prepare for class. This course covers the design, manufacturing, use, and transportation of chemicals and the operation of a chemical plant.
- Aero and Astronautical Engineering: a student studying this course would spend about 19 hours and 15 minutes a week preparing for an astronautical engineering class. This course covers gas dynamics, aerodynamics, aircraft or spacecraft propulsion, aircraft/spacecraft structures, and space system design.
- Cell and Molecular Biology: as fun as this course can be, it is one of the most difficult majors to study in college. On average, you would spend about 18 hours and 40 minutes a week preparing for a class.
- Physics is the last on this list, but not the least, because there are many more. Physics majors spend about 18 hours and 30 minutes each week preparing for classes.
Tips on choosing easy college majors that pay well
Choosing a major in college can be difficult if you don’t know where your interests lie. However, it becomes easier when you can discern the areas of study you consider important. Below are tips for choosing the easiest majors in college; once again, “easy” means one you’re passionate about.
- Understand your skills and what areas they will fit in well to choose the right college major. However, don’t dispel the fields you lack ability in completely; you can build them up as you study more.
- Choose easy college majors based on your values and core beliefs, making it more rewarding for you. However, be flexible here because college is a place for self-discovery and experimentation; it’s a great place to solidify your values.
- Let your interests guide your choice; nothing beats getting paid for doing what you love.
- First, differentiate between passion and interest; then, choose the area you are passionate about.
- Consider your future self; will you pat yourself on the back twenty to thirty years from now? Also, how employable is the course: will you find employment easily in that field?
What are the most popular majors in college?
While there are hundreds of majors in college, some are more popular than others. The popularity is because more students are doing these courses than others. Below are some of the most popular college majors today:
- Business
- Health careers and professions
- History and social sciences
- Engineering
- Biomedical and biological sciences
- Psychology
- Journalism and Communication
- Performing Arts
- Information Sciences
- Education
Conclusion
The stage of choosing a college major is crucial for every student; it dictates their career direction. It would be best if you were patient and carefully choose to avoid getting stuck with the worst college majors and regretting them later. When selecting a college major, you want to consider your interests and passions, but you also want to give room for exploration. After all, this is college, where unexpected things and changes are bound to happen.
