Career Services home page Boston University home page Boston University home page
Title Bar
  Alumni Employers Faculty Parents
About Us Choosing Majors Career Exploration Internships Job Search Resumes & Cover Letters Interviewing Graduate School
Know Yourself Explore Majors Choose a Direction

Know Yourself

The first step in choosing a major is to understand yourself. What interests you? What are your personal values? What do you enjoy spending time doing? What skills do you have, what skills would you like to develop? What is your personality type? What motivates you?

Knowing the answers to these and other questions will help you to think about, and answer, the question everyone seems to be asking you: “What are you going to major in?”

This section of our website is designed to help you make a decision regarding your major. Occasionally, students come into our office and ask us “What should I major in?” We tell them it isn’t a question we, or anyone else, can answer for them. We do, however, want to give you the resources to help you answer it for yourself. Below are some of the ways we can help. As always, students are invited and encouraged to come to our office and meet with a career counselor for assistance.

Career Counseling

Counselors are available to help you think about how your interests might translate into a University major or minor. Be open to exploration! Call 617-353-3590 for an appointment.

Career / Personality Testing

The first thing to understand about career and personality tests is that they don’t have all the answers. No test can tell you what you “should be” or “should do” or even necessarily what you’d be good at doing. Tests can be extremely useful, however, in helping you sort out a direction, identify your skills, interests, and values, or understand why you sometimes think and feel the way you do.

The following assessments are offered by our Career Counselors:
  • MBTI (Myers-Briggs)
  • Strong Interest Inventory
  • CDM
  • "Skillscan"
  • Values card sort
  • Skills card sort
In addition, BU students are able to use an on-line self-assessment instrument: Typefocus

Career Exploration

The CEG is a 5-week group workshop to help you identify your personality style, interests, skills, and values as they might relate to career choice. The CEG also helps you develop a plan for career exploration. The CEG is given once each semester; dates will be listed in advance on our website calendar. To enroll in the group, contact the Office of Career Services at least one week prior to the starting date. A fee of $25.00 will be charged for career testing materials; tests should be completed prior to the first workshop. For more information, please call 617-353-3590.

Book Suggestions

The Career Resource Library at 19 Deerfield Street has many resources to help you in thinking about yourself and your personal style. Stop in any time. Hours are 9 a.m. – 7 p.m. Monday – Thursday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Friday. Summer hours are 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. every day. Please call 617-353-3590 to check for hours during academic breaks.

Please note: Our book collection is updated from time to time. Not all titles below are available in our Library. We also might have others that are not listed here.
  • Do What You Are
    Paul Tieger, 2001
  • Hand-Me-Down Dreams
    Mary Jacobsen, 2000
  • I Could Do Anything If I Only Knew What It Was
    Barbara Sher, 1995
Other Helpful Links

These links give additional advice on assessing your interests, skills, personal values, and personality.
Choosing Majors Nav. Heading
Boston University
Boston University
  This Site   BU   Directory  
Office of Career Services | 19 Deerfield St. | Boston, MA 02215 | Phone:617-353-3590 | Fax:617-353-5891