Many freshmen feel anxious about their majors. Most believe that their major will determine their future: what they do and how much they get paid.
许多大一新生患上"专业焦虑症",他们大都认为,专业决定未来:做什么?赚多少?
So what happens if you don't like your major, or know nothing about its career prospects? What are your options?
那么,如果你不喜欢自己的专业,或是对其职业前景一无所知,该如何是好?你能够做些什么呢?
Experts advise students not to panic. Worrying about their choice of major causes most first-year students stress, according to Bai Jing, an instructor at Shantou University.
"There are always a few students who arrive on campus knowing exactly what they want from their major and what their career ambitions are, but the majority just don't know or only have a vague idea," he said.
"There is no need to rush to a conclusion on whether you like your major or not or if it suits you."
"没必要急着去断定你是否喜欢自己的专业,或者该专业是否适合自己。"
Instead, students should devote their time and energy to fully exploring their academic and career interests. This should take priority over decisions such as changing your major.
In practical terms this means that if a student has no idea what he or she want to do, they should first narrow the focus from all possible majors down to a few selected areas.
Luo Jialiang, 21, a junior who changed his major from electronic engineer to law in his first year at Fudan University, shared his experience.
21岁的罗嘉亮(音译)就读于复旦大学三年级,大一时从电子工程转到了法律专业的他分享了自己的经验。
"Ask yourself these questions: What things excite you most? What jobs or careers appeal to you?"
"问问你自己以下几个问题:什么事情最让你激动?什么工作或职业最吸引你?"
He recommends that if students are indecisive they take a career assessment. Career centers on campus usually offer this service in addition to a variety of personality tests.
Once a student has figured out his or her interests, they need to examine their abilities and make sure they can handle the study and work assignments in this field.
一旦学生找到了兴趣所在,他们就需要考量个人能力,以确保可以应付该专业领域的学习任务。
"Think about what your weaknesses and strengths are, such as logical reasoning," he said.
"想想自己的弱点和长处分别是什么,比如逻辑推理能力。"他说道。
Cai Xiaoming, a biology professor at Peking University, reminds students that many choose certain majors just to follow the crowd. But without talking to teachers or practitioners in the field, they seldom get the right picture.
"Some consider the biology major to be of little use as you can hardly earn big money; others think they can go abroad with this major," he said. "Both are unrealistic."
Students should be patient and not make any hasty decisions. Some universities offer double majors, or even triple majors, if you really can't decide.
学生们应该耐下心来,切忌草率做出决定。如果你真的难以抉择,一些大学还开设了双学位甚至三学位课程。
Hao Jian, a senior human resources consultant at Zhaopin.com, a leading HR service site, says that a college major is important for a person's first job after graduation.
智联招聘高级人力资源顾问郝建表示认为,大学专业对学生毕业后的第一份工作至关重要。
But he also points out that studies show most people change careers four or five times in their lives.
但他也指出,相关研究表明,大多数人在一生中要换四至五次职业。
"No existing major can prepare you for that," he said. "And you should believe that all things you learn on campus will be of help at some point in your life."