If i want to write 4 magazines what should i minor in?

Question

pshycology is my major

Answer 1

Journalism, English, or Communications - - but why is Psychology your major if you have those goals?

Answer 2

What do you want to write about? Make that your minor, and major in communications/journalism.

Answer 3

LOL.  Neither of the above answers are correct.

Psych. majoring is up there with majoring in communciations, art history, dance, music, Latin, Eng. Literature and UNEMPLOYMENT.

I find it interesting that the other posts mislead you into believing that you need a degree to write for magazines.  These people will probably be unemployed with their current degrees.

All you need to learn how to do is write.

Major in something you can make a living at.  Writing is a big field and if you have a science background combined with a minor in english or some other humanities and social science major is a powerful combo.

You get your start by first studying magazine and newspaper articles.  Write and emulate these articles on your own.  Write them 100 or 1000 times.  Write on subjects you like and try and make them fit into a word cap, like 250-1000 words.  Specialize in a field and submit your articles to a number of major magazines.

Do the above until you are published somewhere.  When you are published you are in.  you ahev your foot in the doo rand use your first publication as a reference for other publications.  Once you get enough of these apply to a major magazine or small one and apply for a position.  You may get an entry level position or you may not.  

Some peopel do this full time or on the side.  It depends what you specialize in.  But do not major in something you will go broke with.  Change your major and please listen to my advice.

Major in something you will get a job in.  I kno wlike 8 psych majors that are unemployed after college.  2 of them are Phd's.

So there you have it.

Answer 4

I agree with the others who tell you that psychology is not necessarily a great major for a writer.

It is also true that no academic majors will equip you to be a writer. You will have to learn to write by writing, as that other answerer said.

However, feature and news writers for magazines are generally both very good writers and very well informed people. You can major in communications/journalism or in English with a very strong emphasis on creative writing. Those programs have plenty of courses on non-fiction writing. In fact, "creative non-fiction," the sort of thing you see in New Yorker features, is the hottest field for writers.

You could also major in history and minor in writing, formally or informally. A broad knowledge of history is an excellent preparation for any writer, as you will have a framework to place stories in and great research skills which every magazine writer needs.  A history major (or a combined history/government  major) would be wonderful to make you a broadly educated and well informed person, a pre-requisite for being a writer.

One other thing that hasn't been mentioned so far; writers have to read. A lot! Every day. Not just magazine articles, but books of all sorts, fiction and non-fiction, biography and memoir.

It is very helpful to read the New Yorker, which has excellent articles in every issue, many of which turn rapidly into best-selling and widely discussed books. It is also a very good idea to read about magazines. There are probably a dozen excellent books about the New Yorker alone, (check Amazon. com, or any university library catalog under the subject 'The New Yorker"). Most important magazines have been studied in book length works. Almost every important magazine has also engendered a great collection of its most important articles. Read those from the Atlantic, Time, the American Mercury (long defunct but a great leader in its time with very important and still influential writers), and other great magazines.  

I also want to say something about unemployment. Magazines are no longer the major source of information they once were. TV and the Internet have replaced them. The number of high-paying magazines has decreased a lot. Very few people who are not hired as staff writers can make a living free-lancing, although there always are exceptions.

Thus is may not be a bad idea to train for a related job, such as a history or government professor, and keep your focus very clearly on magazine writing. You'll be able to supplement your writing income with teaching adjunct courses even if you don't get a tenured job (in which case your goal of being a magazine writer will probably have to go.)  

Answer 5

Jouralism or English.