Dear new undergrads: you may not major in what you want, and that’s perfectly fine
Originally published at linkedin.com on September 20, 2017.
This piece is a word of advice for all the Freshmen & Sophomores entering college, as well as for parents whose sons or daughters have just begun college.
Declaring a major can be a difficult decision.
Many of the peers that I have met in my three years at UC Berkeley have started their college careers as an “undeclared” major. If you are not familiar with the “declaring your major” process, you usually use your first two years to experience a wide variety of courses offered as “low-division”/introductory courses from the various colleges that the university is composed of.
Additionally, universities also have Breadth Requirements, covering Arts and Literature, Biological Science, Historical Studies, International Studies, Philosophy & Values, Physical Science, and Social & Behavioral Sciences (varying colleges have different sets of prerequisite courses).
How did you decide on your major?
After browsing introductory courses for two years, there comes another scenario: you must declare a major. Declaring a major is by no means easy, a The New York Times article showed that 61 percent of students change their majors by the end of their second year, as many do not meet the requirements to declare or simply are not interested in the major after learning more about it.
I, for example, have always been interested in marketing. Upon arriving at the University of California, Berkeley, many mentors and advisers motioned me to apply to the Haas School of Business’s Undergrad Business program, where faculty offered some marketing classes. While marketing was not the focus of the program (given that it is more focused on the ABC’s: Accounting, Banking, and Consulting), I decided to apply either way. I took its prerequisites, and begun the application process.
My application was submitted in November 2015 to Berkeley-Haas, UC Berkeley’s School of Business, which boasted an acceptance rate of 36% for undergraduate UC Berkeley students, and a 5% for transfer students at the time. To my dismay, I was not accepted into their program. So what happens to the other 64% of rejected UC Berkeley applicants? They switch onto other majors.
“Have you considered dropping out of UC Berkeley?”
It was the second half of my sophomore year, and I needed to declare a major quick or else I risked not being able to graduate on time. People often declare majors at the start of their sophomore year and I was already a semester behind. Not knowing what my past classes could get me, I decided to speak with my college adviser to figure out a plan.
After a quick meeting, she gave me a to-do list: talk with various major advisers so that I could understand what each major offered. I did, but none of them explored the fields that I was truly interested in. One major adviser asked for my background, and upon hearing it he quickly interrupted me with “we are not a back-up major;” fair enough.
I headed back to my college adviser, told her that I could not find anything that I was personally interested in. I could do a major for the sake of doing a major, but would that be my best bet? She looked back at her computer screen, and then to me. “Well, give one a go. If none of those work for you, we can try to explore more routes. Not to hint at anything, but have you considered dropping out of UC Berkeley?”
I hadn’t. I had been sold on the idea of being a UC Berkeley student and, most importantly, so had my parents, sporting Cal gear on any chance they had.
What you do in your college years is far more important than your major.
As I searched for upcoming classes, I found a class titled “Birth of Consumerism”. The course, taught by the small American Studies department at UC Berkeley, focused on the start and evolution of advertising from 1880s — 1920s. After a brief talk with the professor, I decided to bet on American Studies.
It’s been three semesters since I declared American Studies with a focus on Consumerism/Advertising, and I have been enjoying my classes. At the same time, I began teaching a course titled Digital Marketing Today, where I teach students the new aspects of digital advertising through social media platforms. The course pulls from my past experience as a Digital Marketing Intern for Telemundo 52 Los Angeles. The course is open for all majors to explore.
Thanks to the course, I have met incredible students as well as marketing industry professionals that have made an appearance in the course and have mentored me in ways that I couldn’t possibly thank them enough for.
You are in charge of what you learn.
Choosing a major is by no means easy. You will get pressured by many factors: your parents, your GPA, your schedule, and many other limitations, but it is important to always keep working towards your goal.
As I mentioned before, I grew passionate for advertising, and even though I am not taking all the courses I would like, I have been able to manage different sources to always be learning. I signed up for Lynda, where I have been learning about marketing frameworks and have learned a great deal about the business side of marketing. Additionally, I have begun exploring video editing and production through software like Adobe After Effects, given that much of social media advertising relies heavily on video. Lynda’s setup has allowed me to take classes at my pace, in case I have exams I need to prep for at UC Berkeley.
The key is to use your resources to expand your knowledge. My favorite is jumping in on Adweek’s Twitter #AdweekChat, where industry professionals and advertising enthusiasts join every Wednesday at 2 PM EST to talk about the latest marketing news.
Finally, listen to podcasts. Podcasts have been a phenomenal find for my career, with my favorite being “Yeah, That’s Probably an Ad” hosted by Adweek’s David Griner & Tim Nudd. Find creators you enjoy, and interact with them. It’s been the best way for me to learn.
What about you? What major are you looking getting into? If you have already declared, how did you end up deciding on that major?
Got any thoughts to add? Tweet me @juliangumbo or comment below!
Julian Gamboa is a UC Berkeley graduate with a focus on marketing. Julian was selected as a LinkedIn Top Voice for Marketing and #Social Media (2017) and a Course Instructor of the marketing and digital publishing course Digital Marketing Today at the Haas School of Business. He is also the founder of Digiviewpoint, a millennial publishing account.
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