A Beginner’s Guide to Choosing the Right College Minor

When Choosing A College Minor, There Are Many Things You’ll Need To Consider…

Don’t let the name fool you; your college minor is just as important to your overall education as any other choice you’ll make. When selecting your minor, you’ll be faced with even more options to personalize your education. These options can range from following your dreams and studying a passion to expanding your skills in a competitive industry.

Thankfully, there are ways to determine what college minor is right for you. When you take a moment to step back, consider all your options, and determine what would be best for your career and your future foals, you can make an informed decision about what minor is right for you!

What You’ll Find In This Article

• What is a College Minor?
• Why Does My College Minor Matter?
• What Does it Mean to Declare a College Minor?
• How to Choose a College Minor
• Things to Consider When Choosing a College Minor
• The Importance of College Minors

What Is A College Minor?

Just as your college major shapes your path toward your future career and life, your college minor plays a similar role in a smaller way. Students choose to minor in subjects for a variety of reasons, from a personal passion to expanding their future job opportunities.

A college minor is structured much like a major. However, minors typically require around seven core courses and 18 credit hours to complete; much less than most college majors.

College minors are also generally used as a way to help expand a student’s portfolio of skills and credentials to help them further their career goals. For example, a student who wishes to open up their own bed and breakfast one day may major in hospitality and minor in business. A law student who wants to work in immigration law may minor in a foreign language or cultural studies.

Additionally, many schools do not limit students to one college minor. Those who find the time in their schedule can minor in two or even three different areas to expand their opportunities and knowledge.

Why Does My College Minor Matter?

In the same way that your extracurricular activities say a lot about you, so does your choice of college minor. For those trying to prepare for grad school, consider how your minor choice will help provide a bigger picture of your interests, skills, and passions.

Even for those who aren’t preparing for grad school, your college minor is an important decision to make for your future career.

With a college minor, you can expand your training into a new discipline. For many careers, a complementary minor will help you establish yourself as a specialist within your field. Even a minor completely different from your major will matter for your future; a minor expands your possible job opportunities, which can be invaluable in today’s competitive job markets.

What Does It Mean To Declare A College Minor?

Declaring a college minor is optional, and each school has a different system for declaring a minor. Your first step to declaring a college minor should be to research your options and check with your academic advisor for information.

Generally, in order to receive credit for your minor, you’ll need to fill out a bit of paperwork to make a formal declaration, and your college counselor can help you.

Once you’ve declared your minor, you will need to enroll in the classes required for completion. Taking the classes alone without declaring your minor will not give you credit toward a minor, so it’s essential you follow the process outlined by your college in order to receive proper credit.

How To Choose A College Minor

There are many ways to go about choosing your college minor. Every student will come to a final decision in a different way. Make sure to reach out to an advisor or counselor if you’re having trouble coming to a decision, as they’ll know more about your specific school and situation.

However, there is plenty of research and brainstorming you can do on your own to find out which college minor would be right for you!

LOOK TOWARDS YOUR CAREER

One of the most common ways to approach choosing your college minor is to think about the potential implications for your future career. This is also a common approach to choosing a college major. If you’re going into a broad field, such as medicine, law, or mathematics, a minor can help you stand out from the crowd and give yourself a specialty.

In the same way, your college minor can supplement a career that isn’t as broad in other ways. Many students use their minor to prepare them to open their own businesses, work in certain areas of the world, or diversify the skills they can offer to a company.

EXPLORE YOUR PASSIONS

Another way to choose your college minor is by exploring your passions. While picking your college major may end up being a battle between your head and your heart, the ability to pick more than one minor allows you to think about your passions as well as your future career.

Pursuing your passion in the form of a college minor allows you to explore the academic side of your interests and meet other students just as enthusiastic as you are about that subject. If you had to compromise between your passions and ambitions when choosing your college major, your minor can allow you to pursue your interests as well as your career!

IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS

For some students, a college minor can be a way to challenge themselves to improve. A minor based on a subject where you struggle, but believe you can improve if you were focused, can help round out your skills.

With a subject as your declared minor, you can take more time out of your schedule to devote to learning and improving in this area. Additionally, your college may give preferential access to certain resources, classes, or advisors based on your majors and minors. Plus, by declaring a minor that helps you present a well-rounded skill set, you can appear more enticing to potential employers in the future.

Note: Taking a minor in an area you’re looking to improve also makes a great answer to the dreaded “tell me about a time you challenged yourself” job interview question!

CONSIDER CONVENIENCE

Recall earlier that we noted that you must declare your minor in order to receive credit. However, if you’ve already earned a large majority of credits needed for a specific minor, check with your school to see if you can make it official, declare that minor, and receive those credits towards completion. If you’ve already taken the courses and only need a few more, you’ll be maximizing your prior time spent in those classes and broadening your appeal to future employers all in one go!

PLANNING FOR GRADUATION

As we’ve touched upon, your minor choice can help you on your path toward graduate school. If you have plans to attend graduate school after your first four years, check with the specific program you’d like to attend. Some schools or majors will require the completion of a minor in order to be considered.

Even if your graduate program doesn’t require a minor, your college minor choice will still play a large part in how you present your graduate school application. Your minor helps you tell the story of who you are and what you’re doing without taking up any space in your essay. Take advantage of this by choosing a minor that plays into your larger story, goals, and dreams for the future to really showcase your skills and passions.

Things To Consider When Choosing A College Minor

As with most choices you’ll make about your future while in college, there are things you need to consider before making the final decision on your college minor. Most importantly, remember to:

• Be aware of all the requirements for your minor.
• Do your research into all your minor options.
• Make sure you can handle the additional workload.

Above all, talk to your academic advisor or counselor before declaring your college minor. They’ll know the ins and outs of your college’s specific minor programs and can help you consider things you may have never even thought of. Helping students clarify their career and life goals and act on them during college is part of your advisor’s job description, and helping you determine the best minor for you is a task right up their alley.

The Importance Of College Minors

Although your college minor is not as important as your major, it’s still an essential part of your overall education. You’ll spend a significant amount of time studying your minor, working with the students and professors within your minor courses, and learning new skills and ideas.

For this reason, it’s important to consider both the logical and emotional parts of choosing a college minor. In the end, one of the most important questions to answer is: will this minor help you advance your education, your career, or your passions?

Sometimes, it pays to know the answer to this question before you head off to college. If you plan on committing to a major and minor combination, mentioning this in your college applications can help give you an edge. Additionally, if your minor relates to the history or specialization of a college, it can benefit you to mention your planned minor in your application (but only if you truly plan to study that minor!)

If you’ve done your research into college minors and want to highlight your choice on your college application, but aren’t sure how to do so, feel free to reach out to one of our WeAdmit counselors. We know how the little choices you make surrounding college fit into the bigger picture, and we’d love to share our knowledge concerning everything from college minors to revising college application essays and applications!

Your College Minor Says A Surprising Amount About You. What Story Do You Want Your College Education To Tell?