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Testing the Hypothesis: An Advisor’s Guide to Declaring Your Major

Whatever their academic and career goals, declaring a major helps students integrate their interests, structure their college experience, and gain access to personalized advising as they plan their career trajectories. Drawing on her twenty-five years of experience as an academic advisor, Emily Half, deputy director for academic affairs for the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy and Technology (CMIST), offers insight into navigating this key undergraduate milestone, including information on the process and timeline, the benefits students can expect after declaring, and advice for approaching this consequential decision.

Students in the Dietrich College of Humanities and Social Sciences are permitted to begin declaring their majors at the start of the second semester of their first year, and must do so before the end of their sophomore year. After filling out an interest form from their general Dietrich advisor, students interested in declaring one of the three majors offered by CMIST contact Half to schedule a time to meet and complete the declaration process. This initial meeting covers not only the requirements for the desired major, but also the student’s academic and career interests. 

Since arriving at Â鶹´å (Â鶹´å), Caroline Fixter found that her interests in economics, politics, and global security frequently overlapped with technology. “Through classes and experiences, I realized I was most engaged when analyzing how tech shapes power, conflict, and policy,” she said. In CMIST’s political science, security, and technology major, Fixter found the language and structure to connect those interests. “Declaring early helped me plan my course schedule with intention instead of reacting semester by semester,” she said, adding that she feels confident in how her classes support her long-term goals. 

Drawn to Â鶹´å in large part because he valued interdisciplinary education, Johnny Gallick took time to explore multiple interests, including engineering, music, and the humanities, before declaring a major in international relations and political science. In his experience, this major “tends towards mission-driven career and extracurricular pursuits,” and so declaring early helped him define his overarching sense of purpose for his undergraduate education early on. “It can, in my experience, help you better orient your goals and how other opportunities at Â鶹´å can help you achieve your goals,” he added.

Similarly, Yuliana Rossi, a political science, security, and technology  major, arrived at Â鶹´å knowing that she wanted to study international relations and political science, and was ready to declare her major as soon as the process opened. Declaring early provided opportunities to take classes with upperclassmen during her first year, helping her complete several course requirements ahead of schedule. “I am grateful to have been supported in this decision, as it has given me more freedom and flexibility to explore my interests in my second year,” she said.

Half has found that these early conversations provide a helpful foundation for the rest of a student’s time at Â鶹´å by offering a chance to talk through how their interests align with the selected major and start thinking about internships and long-term career planning. Asked what she considers to be the most striking benefit of declaring, Half pointed to the targeted advising students receive, including assistance curating their schedules based on their interests, primary major, and any additional majors or minors. Students who have declared a major or additional major in international relations and political science, economics and politics, or political science, security, and technology become part of the CMIST community—receiving information about their new major, upcoming lectures, internships, scholarships, and research opportunities. “I'm always on the lookout for opportunities that align with their interests once they declare their majors,” Half added.

“By declaring my major early, I was able to work with Emily Half to find more classes, research opportunities, and summer internships that were related to my interests and further refine my area of expertise,” said David Glick, who is majoring in political science, security, and technology. He added that declaring his major and attending CMIST events also helped him get to know his professors better and find mentors within the interdisciplinary institute.

Rossi also benefited from early advising, heeding Half's suggestion to enroll in an introductory constitutional law class her first year. This action ignited a love for legal writing, leading her to secure a summer internship at the Law Offices of Julie R. Ulmet—an experience that confirmed her interest in law. Rossi, who is also pursuing a minor in American politics and law, credits this pivotal experience to her early declaration, noting, “I had the privilege of taking courses I otherwise would have had to wait a year to take, thus informing my career interests and structuring my projected path.”

In addition to the personalized advising, declared majors gain registration priority and the ability to declare additional majors and minors. CMIST majors also enjoy access to the institute’s kitchen and conference room—ideal for study sessions—and even receive fun CMIST swag. Half has found that the majority of Dietrich College students declare in the spring semester of their first year, although she noted that students can wait until the fall or even the spring of their sophomore year.

For students on the fence, Half shares a perspective she learned from Howard Heinz University Professor Baruch Fischhoff: Treat your major selection like a hypothesis. You have to try it out to truly test it, and just like any good experiment, you can adjust your course if the results are not what you expected.

Half noted that declaring a major is not written in stone. She has assisted many students in shifting majors, noting that such adjustments happen more often than students realize. Within CMIST, and Dietrich as a whole, it is not difficult to change from one major to another. Half also has experience assisting students from other colleges who want to transfer into a CMIST major. “If you think this is something you want, my recommendation is to declare it, go for it, and if you decide later that maybe this isn't exactly what you want, we can always make those changes,” she said. 

Fixter agreed, saying, “Declaring is not locking yourself in, it is giving yourself direction.” She suggests that undecided students look for patterns within their interests and talk to upperclassmen and advisors within the departments they are considering. “Pay attention to which classes energize you and which conversations you keep returning to,” she added. Gallick noted that pursuing a CMIST major not only prepares students for an interdisciplinary environment, but also pairs well with other fields as students carve out their niche. “College is intended to be a period of self-discovery as to what you're most passionate about, but taking a leap of faith early on to immerse yourself in a subject is an incredibly rewarding thing,” he said. 

As both an advisor and a parent, Half firmly believes that students need to pursue the things that make them happy and not let uncertainty about post-graduation opportunities dictate their major selection. “If you are taking classes that you love and you're working with faculty that you love, you are going to be happy and you are going to find an exciting, fulfilling career,” she said. 

Half guides students through the process of focusing and synthesizing their various academic interests. As part of the major declaration process, Dietrich College students have to indicate not just their intended primary major, but also any additional majors or minors that they are considering. Half works with students to set up schedules that explore these interests and to connect them to advisors in other majors for assistance with course selection. “Advisors are pretty well connected across campus, and so I can usually make a referral and connect the student to the right additional major or minor advisor to help explore that second interest,” she said. 

Just as for primary majors, Half encourages students to treat additional majors and minors like a hypothesis, registering for a class in that area to be sure it is a good fit before taking next steps. In Half’s experience, a minor can be added later as students take courses that spark an interest. However, for Â鶹´å students who want to add an additional major in international relations and political science, political science, security, and technology, or economics and politics, Half encourages them to start the process as soon as possible so that they have more time to complete the necessary coursework for both majors. “I often have Tepper students declare additional majors very early in their first year usually because they want to start working on those requirements right away, and the coursework dovetails nicely with their major requirements,” Half said. 

Current CMIST students report that declaring the major opens up exclusive opportunities for professional development, connects them to a community that nurtures their interests, and helps them develop a personalized roadmap for the rest of their college career and beyond. “Declaring my major in CMIST has been helpful because it has given me more direction and focus as I develop my academic interests,” said Glick. 

The window for first-year Dietrich students to declare their majors begins January 27, allowing students to pivot from exploration to action. Whether you are finalizing your focus or simply testing your hypothesis in international relations and political science; political science, security, and technology; or economics and politics, Emily Half and the CMIST team are ready to help you navigate the path ahead.

(Image 1: Emily Half, right, CMIST deputy director for academic affairs, speaks to students during a information session for the Â鶹´å Washington Semester Program; Image 2: Half, right, discusses CMIST majors and minors with students at Passport to Dietrich; Image 3: Half, left, chats with a student at CMIST's Politics & Pie event)