| Shannon (Class of 2021) is a Health Sciences major with a minor in Healthy & Psychology, whose favorite class at Northeastern has been Communication Skills in the Health Professions with Dr. Mohammed. She’s looking forward to meeting other Northeastern freshmen who also decided to come into college undeclared. A fun fact about Shannon is that she loves ‘70s and ‘80s music! |
COVID-19 has disrupted many areas of life in the U.S., and the process of deciding upon your future major at Northeastern is no exception. This process, for me, required a mix of different things: researching my major options, thinking introspectively, trying new things, meeting new people, and discussing with my peers, student leaders, and professors. While not all of these criteria need to be met for you to decide on your major, at least one of them may come into play.
During the combined virtual and in-person learning experiences that Northeastern is offering this fall (NUStart, NU.in, or NUFlex), these exploration steps may be tougher to complete. There will likely be fewer opportunities to randomly stumble upon new friends outdoors, in dining halls, at campus events, at 1 Meserve, or during clubs and study groups. As a result, I’ve compiled a list of 3 tips to help you through this:
Chat with Your Student Leaders
Your student leaders are just like you — as new students, we were unsure of what major we wanted, in varying degrees. Some of us felt nervous about this process, whereas others didn’t feel as on edge. Some of us were in between two or three specific major options, whereas others had no idea (like me!). Some of us felt the pressure of wanting to fit in and “finally” have a major like the other freshmen, or the panic-driven sensation of NEEDING to choose your major (quickly!!). Others have experienced the fear that “I might be the only Explore student that isn’t able to choose within two years — then what???”
Us student leaders can listen, share our experience, share websites or in-person resources, connect you with other students, and/or ask questions that can help you in your major exploration process. When I’ve talked to my student leaders, I appreciated the relatability between us — I found that we shared the same “undecided-ness.”
So, send us a chat or email! We would love to chat with you outside of class.
Meet Random People (Online)
This means purposefully trying things that are outside your comfort zone, including with online experiences. In Fall 2017, I took an Intro to Linguistics course — I barely knew anything about the topic, but I didn’t think it was fair to “rule out” major options unless I had given them a fair try first. During this course, I met people who were Linguistics majors, chatted with them about what their coursework was like, and I eventually decided that this wasn’t the path for me.
Applying this process to an online format might require a different approach. I would suggest speaking with professors after class (you can do this by asking them to stay ten minutes after class via a private message, or via email). If you feel nervous about speaking to a professor, you can try chatting or emailing the TA of the course. If that’s still too much, try asking an Explore student leader — we likely know someone at Northeastern that is currently in the major that you want to explore.
Meeting random people during COVID-19 sometimes involves extra steps; for example, attending virtual office hours with a professor or private messaging a TA or student after Zoom class. I would encourage you to lean into any discomfort that you may feel about asking questions — the students and professors that I’ve met during my exploration process were happy to answer!
KEEP Exploring
Exploring doesn’t stop the second your Connections and Decisions course ends — it is an ongoing process, even after you’ve chosen your major! For me this summer, this meant choosing a remote internship opportunity that continues to allow me to explore. Volunteering part-time for two faith-based organizations stretches my comfort zone because I personally am from a non-religious background. Instead of passing by these unfamiliar opportunities, I chose to actively pursue them.
During this hybrid fall semester, I recommend that you attend “extra” events or extracurricular activities. Go to online panel discussions, attend virtual office hours, and/or attend online club social events. Join the clubs that you are considering but are unsure about, and attend the events that may not be “your thing.” Any or all of these examples can increase your chances of meeting someone new, and this can really help your continuing exploration experience.
Exploring is something to be proud of; it’s not a burden. You’re not “bothering” a professor if you ask them a quick question about what they do after class. Exploring is valuable — during my co-op interviews, I would often mention my exploration process in finding my career path. In one specific instance, my interviewer was also unsure of what she wanted to do as well, and this shared experience was a great talking point.
Thus, major exploration is more important than ever during the upcoming semester — best of luck to you during this process!
