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What major should I choose?

7 perspectives · Updated · 3 min read

Choosing a major can feel like choosing a career. Most of the professors here say it matters less than that.

Tessa West chose psychology because she couldn't stop watching how people read each other. Alison Wood Brooks added a finance certificate without knowing where it would lead. Vanessa Bohns says the job you'll do in ten years probably doesn't exist yet.

Their answers cover how to pick, what to look for in a department, and what to do alongside your classes.

The short answer

Pick the subject that holds your interest through the dull parts and keeps giving you questions. Most of these professors put less weight on the major's label than on what you do with it: the projects you build, and a professor who pushes you.

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Who you should listen to

Seven professors from Harvard, NYU, and Cornell: four psychologists and three who teach entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School. Listen for the one whose reasoning matches how you think.

  • Tessa West · Professor of Psychology at NYU who studies how people communicate at work

    Listen for: Testing a major against its boring parts.

  • Vanessa Bohns · Social psychologist and Chair of Organizational Behavior at Cornell ILR

    Listen for: How her real direction showed up in grad school.

  • Shai Bernstein · Professor at Harvard Business School focused on entrepreneurial finance and innovation

    Listen for: What his research says drives lasting careers.

  • Alison Wood Brooks · Behavioral scientist and professor at Harvard Business School

    Listen for: Following your questions before you know the career.

  • Ellen Langer · Social psychologist at Harvard who has researched mindfulness for over 45 years

    Listen for: Treating the choice as a start you can change.

  • Jeff Bussgang · General Partner at Flybridge Capital and professor at Harvard Business School

    Listen for: What the founders he's backed studied.

  • Tom Eisenmann · Professor at Harvard Business School and co-chair of HBS Foundry

    Listen for: Why building things with people counts more than the major.

How do professors say to choose a major?

Tessa West

Tessa West

Professor of Psychology at NYU who studies how people communicate at work

Author of Jerks at Work

Why themResearch-based advice on difficult coworkers and job decisions.

Tessa’s advice: Leave out pay and safety; pick the work that still interests you in its boring parts.

I wouldn't pick a major because it pays well or seems safe; I'd pick the one where the day-to-day work still interests you when you're doing the boring parts. I chose psychology because I couldn't stop watching how people read each other, not because I had a plan.

Answered by their Delphi on .
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Vanessa Bohns

Vanessa Bohns

Social psychologist and Chair of Organizational Behavior at Cornell ILR

Author of You Have More Influence Than You Think

Why themExplains why asking, saying no, and speaking up feel so hard.

Vanessa’s advice: Pick the major that gives you questions you can't stop thinking about; the job may not exist yet.

I was an AB in psychology at Brown, but my real turn came later, in grad school, when I started sending people into Penn Station to ask strangers for favors and realized I was more interested in how people actually influence each other than in any one label. Pick the major that gives you questions you cannot stop thinking about, because the job you will do in ten years probably does not exist yet.

Answered by their Delphi on .
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Shai Bernstein

Shai Bernstein

Professor at Harvard Business School focused on entrepreneurial finance and innovation

Studies venture capital

Why themBrings research on how investors shape young companies.

Shai’s advice: Pick the major that makes you lose track of time, then find a professor who will push you.

I studied economics because I wanted to understand how markets shape decisions; in my own research, personal interest and strong mentors turned out to be the dominant drivers of durable career paths. Pick the major that makes you lose track of time, then find a professor in that department who will push you.

Answered by their Delphi on .
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Alison Wood Brooks

Alison Wood Brooks

Behavioral scientist and professor at Harvard Business School

Author of Talk

Why themTeaches conversation as a skill anyone can learn.

Alison’s advice: Choose what makes you want to ask more questions, and build the career around it later.

I majored in psychology at Princeton and picked up a finance certificate because I was drawn to judgment and decision-making, not because I knew where it would lead. Choose the major that makes you want to ask more questions; you can always build the career around it later.

Answered by their Delphi on .
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Ellen Langer

Ellen Langer

Social psychologist at Harvard who has researched mindfulness for over 45 years

First woman tenured in Harvard Psychology

Why themChallenges common assumptions about health, aging, and happiness.

Ellen’s advice: There may be no right major, only one you make right. Don't treat the choice as final.

There may be no right major, only one you can make right. Pick what draws you now, notice what happens, and let that lead you rather than treating the choice as final.

Answered by their Delphi on .
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Jeff Bussgang

Jeff Bussgang

General Partner at Flybridge Capital and professor at Harvard Business School

Teaches zero-to-one entrepreneurship

Why themGives feedback from both the classroom and the investor side.

Jeff’s advice: He's backed founders who majored in everything from philosophy to economics; follow your curiosity.

I was a computer science undergrad, but I’ve backed plenty of founders who majored in everything from philosophy to economics. Pick what you actually want to geek out on, because the best startup people I know followed their curiosity, not a credential.

Answered by their Delphi on .
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Tom Eisenmann

Tom Eisenmann

Professor at Harvard Business School and co-chair of HBS Foundry

Author of Why Startups Fail

Why themNames the failure patterns that threaten startups.

Tom’s advice: The major matters less than building things with other people before you graduate.

I don't think the major matters nearly as much as the problems you learn to wrestle with. Our best founders came from engineering, design, history, and dropped out of plenty of things; what they shared was a habit of building stuff with other people before they graduated.

Answered by their Delphi on .
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Everyone’s advice at a glance

How 7 people answer: What major should I choose?
WhoTheir advice
Tessa WestProfessor of Psychology at NYU who studies how people communicate at workLeave out pay and safety; pick the work that still interests you in its boring parts.
Vanessa BohnsSocial psychologist and Chair of Organizational Behavior at Cornell ILRPick the major that gives you questions you can't stop thinking about; the job may not exist yet.
Shai BernsteinProfessor at Harvard Business School focused on entrepreneurial finance and innovationPick the major that makes you lose track of time, then find a professor who will push you.
Alison Wood BrooksBehavioral scientist and professor at Harvard Business SchoolChoose what makes you want to ask more questions, and build the career around it later.
Ellen LangerSocial psychologist at Harvard who has researched mindfulness for over 45 yearsThere may be no right major, only one you make right. Don't treat the choice as final.
Jeff BussgangGeneral Partner at Flybridge Capital and professor at Harvard Business SchoolHe's backed founders who majored in everything from philosophy to economics; follow your curiosity.
Tom EisenmannProfessor at Harvard Business School and co-chair of HBS FoundryThe major matters less than building things with other people before you graduate.

How to choose a major, step by step

  1. Leave pay and safety out of it. Tessa West wouldn't pick a major because it pays well or seems safe. Jeff Bussgang says the best startup people he knows followed their curiosity over a credential.

  2. Test it against the boring parts. Tessa West picks the subject where the day-to-day work still interests you when it gets dull. Shai Bernstein looks for the one that makes you lose track of time.

  3. Follow the questions. Vanessa Bohns and Alison Wood Brooks both say to pick the major that keeps you asking questions. Bohns found her real interest in grad school, sending people into Penn Station to ask strangers for favors.

  4. Find a professor who will push you. Shai Bernstein says personal interest and strong mentors were the main drivers of lasting career paths in his research.

  5. Build things outside class. Tom Eisenmann says the best founders he's seen came from engineering, design, and history, and shared a habit of building things with other people before they graduated.

  6. Don't treat it as final. Ellen Langer says to pick what draws you now, notice what happens, and let that lead you.

Where they disagree

They agree that interest is a better guide than a safe choice. They differ on how much the field itself matters. Tom Eisenmann and Jeff Bussgang have seen successful founders come out of almost any major. Shai Bernstein puts more weight on the people in the department, and says to find a professor there who will push you. Asked whether college is worth it, Tessa West goes further and says the major matters more than the degree.

Frequently asked questions

Should I pick a major based on salary?

Tessa West says no: pick the one where the daily work still interests you. Jeff Bussgang says the best founders he knows followed their curiosity over a credential. West does note elsewhere that some majors, such as engineering, do better on wages.

Does my major decide my career?

Not for most of these professors. Vanessa Bohns says the job you'll do in ten years probably doesn't exist yet, and Alison Wood Brooks says you can build the career around your major later.

What if I pick the wrong major?

Ellen Langer says there may be no right major, only one you can make right, and suggests treating the choice as something you can change.

What should I major in if I want to start a company?

Tom Eisenmann and Jeff Bussgang have backed or taught founders from engineering, design, history, philosophy, and economics. Eisenmann says what they shared was building things with other people before they graduated.

The bottom line

Pick the subject you'd keep studying through the dull parts, and find one professor in it who will push you.

How this page was made

We asked this question to professors on Delphi. Each quote is that person's Delphi answering in their own words, built from their own writing, talks, and interviews, and shown as given. Delphi wrote the introduction, the summary, and the steps from their answers. Last checked .

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