by Sun Meilan

Created on: July 15, 2010

When you're at the beginning of your college career, the task of selecting college majors and minors can be daunting. You are aware that your choices could affect the rest of your life, but that doesn't always help with your decisions now. Here are some things to consider when selecting college majors and minors. 

*Your future job

At this stage in your life, you may only have a broad idea of what you want to do for a job once you graduate. In this case, you may want to go for something broad - history, business or economics are subjects that you can develop to suit you as you go along and you can perhaps afford to be a little more experimental with your minors. However, if you do have a more solid idea, then you obviously need to ensure that your choice of a major in particular fits in with your future job. 

*Your interests

You may be tempted to do exactly what your parents want you to do at college, regardless of whether it is something that interests you or not, simply because you don't really know what you want to do. However, it is really worth thinking long and hard about what you actually enjoy doing. If you force yourself  to do a subject that you don't like, you probably won't do as well in course work and exams as you perhaps should. You may be concerned about broaching this with your parents, but in the long run, it will be worth it. 

*Your skills

As well as your interests, it is worth considering where your skills lie. Most people fall into two broad categories - they like the arts and humanities, or they prefer science-based subjects and are good at either one or the other. Consider this when choosing your majors and minors. Don't pick business-related subjects if you hate maths and economics, because you will come across them at one point of another. If you really hate being in the public eye, languages may not be your best option. 

*The reputation of the course

If you have a particular subject in mind, you should really consider the reputation of the course - and don't presume that because your college is one of the best that your particular choice is going to be the best course there is without doing your research. Studying Chinese at Leeds or Edinburgh in the UK may be better than choosing Oxford or Cambridge, for example, because the courses at the former are more focused towards modern Chinese rather than literary Chinese. 

*Consider the combination of topics

If you are focused on a particular field, you will

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