Students may feel overwhelmed and discouraged throughout their college career, but registering for classes and deciding on a major should not be difficult.

Monica Zeigler, assistant director of the Academic Advising Center, said this is a time for students to decide for themselves and find what interests them.

“Students pick careers they know about, such as doctors or lawyers, and listen to their parents advice,” she said.

According to the Academic Advising Center, students should decide what they want to do and what interests them in deciding a possible career path. Zeigler said many students choose majors based on their parents wishes.

Students frequently ask advisers their opinion on potential career paths, which career choice will pay highest and where they will be able to find a job. Although not all questions can be answered, Zeigler said students should speak with an adviser at Career Services.

The center works closely with Career Services in helping students find their strengths in a particular field of study.

The most popular majors for this semester have been elementary education, business and nursing, with the top choice being an undecided major.

Undecided majors can take the Discover test, which identifies a student’s strengths and interests, and then suggests various career paths based on answers. As suggested by the center, job shadowing can also be beneficial to an undecided major.

Exploring different classes can also help a student choose a certain major.

“Don’t be afraid to try classes that help you understand a particular field,” Zeigler said. “It may not help make a decision, but rather a direction.”

Julia Holecek, a senior Spanish major, knew what interested her coming into college but was unsure of a future career.

“You can’t find too many jobs with only a Spanish major,” Holecek said. “I knew I wanted to major in Spanish so I also chose to do teacher certification.”

Maxwell Dodd, a sophomore biology major, enrolled in biology classes in order to find out if that is what he wanted to major in.

Biology, chemistry and physics are among some of the classes Dodd must take to complete his major.

“Take general courses and maybe a major will fall into place,” Dodd said. “That’s what happened to me.”

Zeigler said not liking something may also be a better indication than thinking about what is interesting.

“Some students don’t think about what classes different majors entail,” Zeigler said.

If a student does not like science, then a doctor probably is not his best choice for a career, same with math or writing. Preparation is important to all students registering for classes.

Zeigler said to plan out one’s schedule ahead of time, to keep checking to see if wanted classes are closed and to adjust accordingly.

“It makes life easier,” she said.

The most important thing to remember is to stay focused. Dodd said many of his friends left Eastern because they were struggling and not doing well in classes.

“Make sure you come back next year,” he said.

Nicole Mangiaracina can be reached at 581-7942 or [email protected].