Choosing a major to declare is never easy. It maps out the rest of a college student’s academic career — not to mention life — after receiving a degree.
This is why deciding a major or minor is one of the most important aspects of college life. For some, the choice was made long before college.
“I’ve wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember, so it didn’t take much to decide to go into elementary ed.,” freshman Kailey Schneemann said. “And Eastern has one of the best programs for it. It was an easy choice.”
However, Kristen Blackburn, a soon-to-be transfer student, had a harder time deciding.
“Well, originally I was a biology major, possibly pre-med because I thought I was interested in that, until I realized how much I hated math,” she said. “I later took a political science class for a gen ed requirement and it was the most interesting class I had ever taken.”
It doesn’t stop there, though. Choosing a major takes extensive research and time.
“I then started researching what kind of careers could come of a political science degree, and realized the potential that lies in corporate law,” Blackburn said. “It was the perfect fit for me, it just took awhile to get there.”
Though many students keep their status as undeclared for a few semesters, there are favorite majors on EMU’s campus. Business and marketing is in the lead with 22 percent declared, as stated by College Board-College Search, a resource for students and professors to research schools.
Education, possibly Eastern’s most well-known major, is close behind with 20 percent. Health professionals trail with 10 percent, and the list breaks down from there.
Even though EMU is known for its education program, nursing and health has become more dominant on campus. For example, Kelli Muse, a freshman, wants to venture into the medical field after declaring her major.