The Perfect as the Enemy of the Good, or Why Your Decision Needs to be Only Mostly Right

One more point is worth mentioning: yours doesn’t have to be the perfect decision. It just has to be a good decision.

If you liked history, let’s say, and you decide to proceed down that path, in your first two years of college you’ll be required to take a number of “lower-division” courses in a variety of fields—this is the interdisciplinary approach of a broad education, required by all colleges—plus also courses in a specific field that are prerequisite to higher courses in that field. So, let’s say you remember your history courses fondly. You take a variety of other courses, plus one or two history courses each semester.

Now let’s say you realize you really don’t like history that much after all. You realize, after one of those other courses, that you really love geography! And not just any geography, but geography and sociology combined. You have not only just put yourself way ahead of the game, you have also not wasted any time. Why? Because those courses you took—the ones you realized you didn’t love—they still count. They’re still within your lower-division credit requirements. Chances are, if what you thought you loved is close to what you find you really love—because your decision was mostly right—some of those courses will even count for upper-division credit (i.e., credits within your major). Life is good.

The same principle applies to all majors. Start in chemistry and realize you like physics? Same. Start in music and realize you love dance? Same. This even applies if you decide that you really love something completely outside what you originally thought: start in history and realize you love dance? As long as you learn this relatively early—such as in the first two or three semesters—same!

On a related topic, think about a minor as well. You don’t have to love just one field. Within reason, a careful plan will get you a solid major plus a fun minor without additional work—the best of both worlds. If you’re lucky, both will be fun. If not, you still need to decide. And think also about the value you would bring to an employer. If you like languages, for example, taking a minor in at least one language is a superb decision. Even if you’re not sure you like languages, you really should think about this. If you’re looking for a job in chemistry and you also speak Chinese fluently (or Japanese or French or Spanish or even Latin), who do you think has the upper hand in interviews? You’d be surprised at how employers are interested in science majors who also minored in one of the liberal arts—or vice versa. And it works in any direction. A history major with minors in physics and French? That’s just interesting! (And, believe it or not, with a careful approach you will get “double credit” for at least some of the courses, such as French Pre-Renaissance Literary History or History of Science: Physicists in the Age of Discovery.) It will almost certainly get you more and better conversations with potential employers—even if they’re not otherwise looking for historians of science who also happen to be able to order lunch in French.

Consider your finances and timeframe, as well. I remember being strapped for cash one semester. I seriously thought about dropping out for a while to work. I proposed this idea to one of my mentors, a brilliant professor who perfectly matched the collegiate professor “look.” He told me to suck it up and push through, because the value of graduating a semester earlier is much more than the value of working a “student” job for the same number of months. And this assumes you’ll actually get back in to finish what you started. If you don’t (which happens all too often), you’ll be in the same situation as my friend who’s stuck in dead-end jobs. The same principle applies to wasting time while trying to decide on your major. You may enjoy a few extra classes, throw a few extra parties, but ultimately, you will be further ahead if you just make a decision already!

My advice is this: think seriously about what you love. Think seriously about what you don’t love. Connect those, and do whatever you have to do to decide what you want to study. Then make a decision as soon as possible. If it’s even roughly correct, you’ll still be miles ahead—and chances are what you learn in each new set of classes will help you to fine-tune your choice. Your early decisions will support your later ones.