Your Rep-I'm Undeclared

Undeclared...what should I do? Is business right for me?

About considering a B.S in Business:
What concentration applies to me?
Facts, stats, and stories from fellow students to help you decide.
Business core requirements and concentration
requirements.
What really needs to be done. Units? Classes?

About being undecided:
What should I do at school in the mean time?
Yeah, what should you do?
Take your time.

First of all, I honestly feel worried about my future since I am
undeclared.

Being undecided (a.k.a. undeclared) in your major is a decidedly good
thing. Why? Because it’s better to remain undecided than to jump into
a major, or multiple majors, for no other reason than “everyone else is
doing it.” In fact, the majority of college students remain undecided
through their freshman year, and academic advisors warn students
against declaring a major without a wholehearted commitment to a
field of study.

Most colleges don’t require students to declare a major until the
end of their sophomore year. This policy allows students to explore
their interests during their first couple of semesters in a college
setting, where a core curriculum and obligatory survey classes can
help students assess their passion for different subjects.

Students who rush prematurely to declare a major sometimes end
up not liking what they’re studying, or find that it won’t help them
achieve their career goals immediately out of college leading them
to panic. They feel desperate because they sometimes feel as
though they’ve dug themselves into a hole they can’t escape. They
think they’ve progressed too far into the coursework to be
able to graduate in four years.

What are the drawbacks to being undecided? You could run into
some red tape if you decide to transfer to another school. Many
colleges require a declaration of major on prospective transfers’
applications. And transfer students are often well into their
college careers, perhaps as far along as their junior year, when
a focus of study becomes more and more crucial to successful
completion of a degree in four years.

What should I do in the mean time? >back up top

An undecided major should focus on completing the core curriculum
of the school s/he’s attending. A core curriculum usually covers a
wide array of subjects, so as you complete it, you’ll get a better
idea of what it is you want to study. Plus, you’ll be earning credit
toward graduation. You can find out more on GE's with the SFSU
advising center or on the back of any current Fall/Spring class
schedule.

Be observant of your interests. Do not, however, confuse interests
with aptitude. You may be excellent at a subject but not find it
thrilling. In reality any field of study can be
mastered, no matter how challenging or intimidating it seems.

Get involved so that you may meet people from various majors and
get their opinions.

If you are currently a high school student, there are
also things you can do now if you are still undecided. One
tool that empowers incoming college students
with more flexibility is AP credit. If you complete an advanced
placement course and receive a 4 or a 5 (and sometimes a 3)
on the subject test, you earn college credits to graduate early
or to fulfill some core requirements. This frees you up to explore
more electives and niche subjects.

Take your time... >back up top

You should pay attention to your tastes -- the articles you
read in the newspaper, the sections of the
bookstore in which you browse, the issues about which you are
passionate, and people in the news whom you admire the most –
as they consider possible majors. “Remember,” Harvard’s website
reads, “just looking at something does not in any way commit you
to it. You could decide right away that it bores you or you could
pursue it a little deeper.”

To encourage students to take the proper time and consideration
into the declaration of a major SFSU now enables incoming students
to take FYE courses or 'First Year Experiences,' where students pick
a FYE under any majors they may be interested in and find out more
about them. And don't forget, there is one for undecided majors too.

The main thing is to feel secure about your indecision, which
seems to be somewhat of a paradox. As the University of North
Texas’s website explains, “Indeed, you may help yourself in the
long run by not declaring [a major] right away. Most first-year
students are unsure about their educational direction. Studies
show that two-thirds of the students who declare their major
on admission to college change it two or three times before
they graduate [and as many as 75% change it at least once].
Many high-achieving high school students come to college as
undeclared because they have multiple fields of interest and
are not ready to select only one. It makes you no less serious
about your education.” Some schools count their Undeclared
Major department as their largest on campus. So you won’t
be alone.

All information above thankfully provided by the Princeton Review.
>>The Princeton Review

SFSU Organizations