For Cal Parents

Choosing a Major

Myth vs. Reality
Career Center Resources
How You Can Help

Myth vs. Reality

Myth: Most students know what they want to study when they enter college. It’s best to decide on a major as soon as possible so as not to fall behind other students.

Reality: Some students come to Cal knowing where they want to focus their studies, but many do not! It is expected that most students who come in as freshmen will take the first few semesters to explore possible majors before choosing one. In fact, the majority of entering college students will change their minds about majors and careers several times before graduation. Moreover, students are not in a race with one another. While a spirit of competition motivates some, it’s more productive for most students to develop and focus on their own interests and goals rather than feeling pressured to surpass others.

Myth: A given major is suited for one particular career or a very limited number of career options.

Reality: The career a student decides to pursue after graduation is not necessarily dictated by his undergraduate major. It is true that some careers will require specific knowledge or skills that will be obtained by taking certain classes. For example, a student wanting to become a CPA will need to complete certain accounting courses. However, with most majors, he will learn a broad range of skills that can transfer to a wide variety of careers.

Myth: Arts, Humanities and Social Science majors have limited skills compared with students majoring in Engineering, Physical Sciences or Business; they are not as well-prepared for a career.

Reality: Many employers greatly value the well-rounded education provided by a liberal arts degree from Cal. Students in these majors obtain critical thinking, analytical and composition skills, to name just a few, which are transferable to a wide variety of careers. The value of an L&S degree shouldn’t be underestimated; students just need to learn how to market their education! Besides, skills do not come from just coursework, but also from extracurricular activities and employment.

Myth: Double majoring is better than having just one major. It’s more impressive to employers and graduate/professional school representatives.

Reality: While some employers and graduate/professional school representatives will be impressed by a double major, going this route will in no way guarantee employment or acceptance into graduate/professional programs. It makes sense to double major only if a student is truly engaged with the material of both majors, and the added time commitment that comes with this choice doesn’t compromise performance in either discipline. In other words, it doesn’t look better to demonstrate adequate performance in two disciplines than to perform really well in just one. Besides, many other factors figure into hiring decisions, including (especially) previous work experience and relevant skills.

Career Center Resources

We recommend that students choose a major whose subject matter they are eager to learn about rather than focusing on its apparent practicality. The more a student enjoys her major, the better she is likely to perform academically and to convey enthusiasm about her studies to prospective employers and graduate admissions committees.

15- and 45-minute Career Counseling Appointments in which students can get one-on-one guidance through the process of deciding on a major. Counselors can also help students develop effective strategies for presenting a major that is "less well known" to employers and graduate/professional schools.
Self-Assessment tools that students can use to identify their interests, favorite skills and core values and then apply this knowledge to their choice of major.
Resources and Services for students in specific Schools and Colleges: College of Chemistry, College of Engineering, College of Environmental Design, College of Letters & Science, College of Natural Resources, Haas School of Business .
What Can I Do with a Major in...? – based on our annual Senior Survey of recent graduates, profiles of 78 Cal majors showing where recent graduates have found jobs and gone to graduate school and the range of salaries they are making.
Info Lab reference materials with information about a broad spectrum of careers, geared toward a variety of majors.
@cal Career Network - a database of Cal alumni holding a wide variety of UC Berkeley undergraduate and graduate degrees who have volunteered to share their career experiences with students and who can answer questions about possible connections between their major at Cal and chosen career.

How You Can Help

If your son or daughter is struggling with choosing a major, recommend:
- exploration of a number of different options and making a choice based on enjoyment of course work rather than on what other students are doing or "practicality"/a belief that it will be more "practical"
- becoming familiar with requirements for possible majors by looking through the course catalog, and discussing academic and career interests with academic advisors, faculty, upperclassmen and Graduate Student Instructors (GSIs)
- setting up a career counseling appointment at the Career Center. Junior transfer students may feel particularly pressured to decide on a major and benefit from meeting with a Career Counselor to make a timely decision
- If your son or daughter is considering or has chosen a major that you are not familiar with or that you are concerned is not the best choice, try to be receptive to hearing about why a given choice is appealing.
If your son or daughter is considering or has chosen a major that you are not familiar with or that you are concerned is not the best choice, try to be receptive to hearing about why a given choice is appealing.

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