As the end of the school year comes to a close for high school students, many seniors and juniors are struggling to determine what major to focus on in college. From one student who finally figured it out to another, finding your desired major comes with a few difficult questions.

A question that many high school students struggle to answer is: What are you REALLY interested in? Were there any classes or clubs in high school that peaked your interest? The key to your success is discovering what you are passionate about and finding a job that keeps you entertained and happy. For students like Kaitlyn Coombs, she has already determined what career she wants by opening her mind to new experiences. Kaitlyn explained that, “being in a lot of clubs like Model UN, Yale Model Congress, Harvard Model Congress, and more, forced me to get involved and educated about the things going on in the world. Learning about these things influenced me to work towards making a difference as a lawyer,”. Exposing yourself to new situations and new classes can greatly aid you in the major searching journey. 

Another question would be: What are your strengths, and where can that take you? For example, are you a really good student in chemistry but know you’re not interested in it? Consider an alike degree that utilizes chemistry, such as a pharmacist. Do you like physics and would you consider being an astrophysicist? There are always accessible alternatives that many colleges offer, such as different focuses for the course. Collegeboard recommends that future college students write down a list of their interests to discover what paths can be discovered.

For some people, they discover what they’re passionate about in a relatively odd way. Whether it be watching people in construction and finding and interest in architecture or going to the aquarium and wanting to help the sea animals in the wild, it’s always a possibility. For me, I discovered I wanted to be an environmental scientist when I saw a video of scientists taking plastic out of a bird’s stomach. Sometimes, it isn’t as easy to discover your passion as answering a question or taking a survey online.