Deadline Update: We want to ensure anyone applying for federal financial aid has enough time to make an informed decision regarding their college choice! For this reason, we're extending our enrollment decision deadline to May 15.

Need Help Picking a Major? Start Here.

If you don't know what you're going to do with your life yet, don't panic. This might just be your AHA! moment.

1. Discover your Holland type.

There are six personality types according to John Holland's theory: Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional. Take the O*NET Interest Profiler career quiz to discover your type.

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Onet Profiler

2. Find your UIUC interest path.

Once you know your Holland Type you can easily discover your UIUC interest path, which includes a list of majors that relate to what you're interested in. It's that easy.

Majors in this category seek to understand the historical backgrounds and contemporary events of cultures and societal structures. Students who study in these areas like to expand their perspectives and stay up-to-date on current issues and policies. Majors in this area develop students' written and verbal communication skills, whether in English or another language, and involve reading, writing, editing, research, analysis, speaking, debate and persuasion.

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Students with interests in statistical analysis, algorithms, and determining how data can impact daily life should consider these majors. These majors require highly developed critical thinking, problem-solving and communication skills. Students in this major should like working with numbers, dealing with large, complex data sets, examining trends, and spending significant amounts of time working at a computer.

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Majors in this area center on a person's ability to use their education and talents to "think outside the box" to solve a problem or achieve a goal. Students in these majors should like doing hands-on work, investing time to develop their particular skills, collaborating with others, studying similar work to draw inspiration, and generating their own work that represents their personal interests and passions.

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These disciplines study challenges such as global warming, climate and climate change, pollution, water conservation, and other issues that encompass all aspects of planetary and earth sciences. Students interested in nature can expect to study topics that discuss the earth's wide variety of animals and plants and its endangered species along with human responsibility to the world’s natural resources.

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Students who pursue a "helping profession" want to connect with and assist others. They desire a career where they will nurture the growth of or address the problems of a person's physical, psychological, intellectual, emotional, or spiritual well-being through medicine, nursing, psychotherapy, psychological counseling, social work, education, life coaching or ministry.

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Majors in this category study the global and domestic markets as well as consumer trends in agriculture, technology, health, education, policy and social & economic capital. These majors attract students who are leaders and entrepreneurs driven by innovative solutions and achieving goals. They also value team work, problem solving, managing, numbers/data, and interpersonal transactions.

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Majors in this area concentrate on exploration and discovery using knowledge of physical and life sciences. Students who are strong in foundational math and science courses, have a curiosity about the world around them, and seek to use research to advance society may want to explore majors in this category. These students typically have an interest in research, working in a lab, and wanting to learn "how stuff works." They are curious about nature, biology, machines, physical laws, etc., and like problem-solving and/or puzzles.

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Our undeclared options allow students to explore different majors while staying on track for graduation. They are for students who are interested in exploring their options before declaring a major. They may also benefit students who have professional goals but are unsure which major will best help them achieve those goals.

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3. Compare majors.

Once you find a few majors that seem interesting, you can compare them side by side and see if any stand out based on cost, average starting salary, or a typical student's academic profile.

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happy new Information Systems student at a signing day celebration with Gies College of Business

How to Choose a College Major

Choosing a college major can be a big source of anxiety. Maybe you have a gut feeling about what you want to study, or maybe not. Either way, you're in the right place for some reassurance and perspective, along with some major advice.

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