The Pros and Cons of Declaring vs. Not Declaring a Major Right Away

You have a story to tell and that story changed the trajectory of what you want to do for the rest of your life.

You always ace a specific class. You enjoy the challenge, but the work comes easy to you.

You have known since childhood that this field is your calling.

Everyone in your family has worked in this industry and that's the legacy you want to preserve.

You want to be the first in your family to become a professional in this field.

These are countless reasons why someone may declare a major right away.

At Drexel, declaring a major right away will allow access to major-related courses as early as your first year. Early access to your major-related curriculum may benefit you in determining a dual major or minor and will be beneficial for accelerated degree programs. You can connect with faculty and staff members in your college department right away. As a top research institution, we are committed to a multitude of research disciplines. Our STAR (Students Tackling Advanced Research) Scholars program will allow you to explore your major area of faculty-mentored research during the summer term of your first year.

You may reside in a living-learning community with peers that have the same interest in your field of study. Connecting with your peers may also facilitate participation in academic clubs and organizations. We want you to test-drive your career through co-op but you have the opportunity to test-drive your major in and outside of the four walls of a classroom. Students in our department of Biodiversity, Earth and Environmental Science (BEES), under the College of Arts and Sciences test drive their majors by participating in a pre-term experience at Barnegat Bay to explore coastal, marsh, and terrestrial habitats. By declaring your major and taking major-related courses your first year, you can start to determine if the program is the best fit for you.

While declaring a major right away may alleviate a level of stress for you, at an experiential learning school like Drexel, you may not find many cons. However, if:

• You find that you are talented in many areas, and you can't rule any out just yet
• You enjoy the broad scope of an industry, but you're not sure which area of the industry suits you best
• You excelled in a specific class, but you don't believe it's what you are passionate about
• You have absolutely no idea what you want to do, but you want to try everything

Then consider this:

Not declaring your major right away provides space to explore other areas of interest. If your interests run the gamut, you may consider selecting an undeclared option within one of our college departments or our First-Year Exploratory Studenies program. Our First-Year Exploratory Studies program offers two academic tracks to explore: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) or Business, Social Science, and Humanities.

No matter if you declare your major right away or choose to explore a range of options your first year, at Drexel, we know that, like your ambition, discovery can't wait!

Best of luck finding your right-fit U.S. school!