Some students enter college knowing what they want to study, while others take time to explore their options. Sometimes students may start on one path and then end up on a completely different one. Each journey to choosing a college major is unique and that is OKAY!

If you are still considering your options, we are here to offer some thoughts on the major decision process:

• Educate yourself on all of UMBC’s academic programs - majors, minors and certificates.
• Consider your strengths and interests - what subjects do you enjoy studying? What type of classroom setting do you prefer? What have you been skilled at academically in the past?
• Discuss your options with an academic advisor in The Office for Academic & Pre-Professional Advising - the go-to advising office on campus for students exploring majors or transitioning between majors.
• Create a few academic plans to determine which program will help you get to your graduation goal faster or will best provide you with the overall college experience you are seeking (for example, if you know you want to study abroad, perhaps seeing which majors would be best aligned with your study abroad goals would help choose your path).
• Don’t assume that your college major has to align with a specific type of job. Many majors offer pathways to various when you consider the actual skill set you are gaining from a particular major.
• If you are really stuck, ask for input from those who know you best, but ultimately make the choice yourself.
• If you have family pressures to pursue a specific major, what other ways you can bring your interests into your academic pathway? A minor? An extracurricular activity?
• Explore parallel paths when your chosen major isn’t working out academically. For example, if you are struggling with the math and science components of Computer Science, perhaps Information Systems, another technology-focused major, might be a better fit.

**SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT** 

One timely way to explore UMBC's diverse majors is to attend our upcoming Major Event the week of October 30th.

While we certainly support students taking their time to make this important decision, we do encourage students to decide on a major no later than the end of their sophomore year. This will help ensure you are on track for a timely graduation.

Happy Exploring!

Helpful Links

Advising Contact List

FOCUS2 and other self-assessment tools via the Career Center

The Legislative Concerns Committee (informally called the LCC) was established to coordinate the advocacy efforts on state and federal legislation pertaining to graduate students, in addition to supporting students to recognize their larger role in the political process. The LCC is one of the five Graduate Student Association (GSA) standing committees. With approximately 48% of the graduate student body being international graduate students, the LCC is equally concerned with supporting on and off-campus initiatives that support international graduate students. The LCC partners with five primary organizations to promote political and civil engagement, and provide resources to meet graduate student needs. Our on-campus partnerships include The Women's Center,The Shriver Center, Center for Democracy and Civic Life, Retriever Essentials, and the Graduate Assistant Advisory Committee (GAAC). Off-campus, the Legislative Concerns Committee helps to voice graduate student concerns to the local community, representing them for neighborhood relations in Catonsville and Arbutus. The LCC also leads the discussion for the Collective Bargaining Bill, with support from GAAC.

Goals:

• Coordinate the advocacy efforts for state & federal legislation that impacts graduate students

• Support the political participation of the graduate student body

• Support on-campus partnerships that support graduate student political & civil participation

• Connect graduate students to on-campus and neighborhood resources

• Support the efforts to pass the Collective Bargaining Bill (MD SB298)

Contact Us: dadoug1@umbc.edu