List your ds/dd major here... and when did they decide?

[mirabillis]

There are so many to choose from, and my young freshman high schooler ds has no idea yet... thought it'd be nice to see what other kids have chosen, maybe give us some ideas. :-)

 

And did your ds/dd choose this ahead of college or once in college? Just curious...

[bettyandbob]

Oldest ('17) history. He went back and forth. I think he thought he had to have a science degree, but was never interested or happy with science classes. He was always happy with history. I wish he'd chosen it from the start. He probably could have finished early.

 

DD ('20) is now a declared math major. She was going to study nutrition because the nutrition degree at her school covered all prerequisites to apply to PT school. Now she doesn't was PT. She lives math. It makes sense to her. Howevershes still in her first year...

[rdj2027]

Our oldest studies law having decided somewhere around 10th grade.  #2 son wants to major in computer science, has been wanting to do so since elementary school.  #3 and 4 have absolutely no idea what it is they want to do in life.

[hopskipjump]

n/a

Edited January 15, 2017 by hopskipjump

[Pawz4me]

DS21 (college junior) is double majoring in economics and business and society. He was pretty sure by middle school age that he was headed for something in the business or banking fields, but he only declared his majors a few months ago.

 

DS18 (high school senior who will have an AS degree when he graduates) thinks he wants to double major in political science and either criminal justice or criminology. But he's young, so that may change.

[mom2att]

Oldest is a Linguistics major, Spanish minor. She became interested in high school, which was helpful with her college search since not every school offers a Linguistics program. She is currently a junior, enjoying and doing well in her field of study.

 

Next in line is 10th grade ds, who is interested in studying English because he wants to write. That's a pretty easy one since nearly every school offers an English degree.

Edited December 27, 2016 by mom2att

[The Girls' Mom]

DD20 started off as a German major, then switched to English after her 1st semester, then switched back to German this semester! lol. She has a love for words, and dabbles in several languages.  

 

My younger two will be headed to college this fall:

 

DD16a is going to major in Forensic Science.  She has had a love for it since she was a high school freshman.  Her back up choice is to major in Biology.  

 

DD16b is going to be an Early Education major.  She wants to teach K-3.  She's good with kids, and wanted a job that would mesh with parenthood well.  She also had a public school teacher in 2nd and 3rd grade that she absolutely adored, who inspired her.  (before we pulled them out to homeschool)

Edited December 27, 2016 by The Girls' Mom

[creekland]

Oldest started in International Relations thinking he wanted to go into microfinance (decided that as a senior in high school).  By sophomore year in college he switched to Business with an Accounting concentration as he loved those classes.  That's what he graduated with and got his first job in.  Currently he's doing IT and brushing up plus getting more certifications in that (company's dime).  Eventually he wants to combine them all - and seems to have a good path to do so.

 

Middle is finishing up with Brain & Cognitive Science and Biology majors coupled with American Sign Language and Psychology minors.  He's hoping to head to med school, so majors don't matter.  He picked what he likes studying.  Going in to college he was undecided between Neuroscience (nuts and bolts of brain study - physical aspects) or Cognitive Science (perceptions/thoughts, etc).  Obviously, he fell in love with the latter.

 

Youngest decided late in his junior year that he wanted Tropical Marine Science and entered college with that plan.  Very soon after starting he switched to just Biology.  Shortly after that he toyed with being a Theater major.  Then, sophomore year when he had to declare he ended up with an International Studies major concentrating on languages in general and Arabic in particular.  (He has French, Arabic, and Italian for languages, but Arabic is his focus.)  He's using his electives to focus on humans and aging.  He discovered he loves that in college too.  It all sounds unfocused and pretty much like a typical "what will someone do with that???" sort of news story, but... he already has two standing job offers for when he graduates and a lot of other interest when he tells people what he's doing.  He's really good at what he's studying.

 

I have no regrets at all telling my boys to study what they like.  To begin, I told them to find a field they thought they would like and start there, but to also keep their eyes open in college as there are so many more options than what they see in their high school years.  Many students from the high school where I work find their life's direction after starting college.  It's not at all unusual and often works out very well.  There's no real need to "know" what one wants in high school, though one can certainly figure out what they don't like.

 

Picking up people skills/tact is super important.  Those are useful in any job.  Public Speaking is an awesome class to fit in.

[Night Elf]

Dd is only a freshman. She was accepted into her college as a Psychology major but by the time she did orientation and advising in the summer, she decided to change her major to Statistics.

[Caroline]

DS 21 (will graduate in May) is a mechanical engineering major. He officially decided that when he applied to college, but I think he has been heading in that direction since preschool.

[Luckymama]

Ds (graduated college May 2015) changed to a computer science major late freshman year. He works in Silicon Valley for a Very Big Name Company.

 

College senior dd chose her first major (English) when she was a high school junior. She added French as a double major during freshman year.

 

Current high school senior decided last year to major in International Relations with an Arabic focus, though her path has been obvious since for two years. She's one of those hyper-focused people.

[elegantlion]

Ds is still undecided, but he's closer to a decision. This has been his process so far, he's in his third semester of college. He started at our local university with the idea to transfer after two years (in process of applying now). He originally wanted computer or electronic engineering. Has decided that is not the field he wants and his steering toward physics and math with some computer science. Unfortunately our school does not have a physics major or he would just stay here. We were just discussing this last night. If he transfers (there are pros and cons, including decent financial aid needed) he will probably double major in physics and math. If he stays here he will major in math, maybe add a computer science double major, and minor in physics. 

 

 

I'm a history major as I had originally wanted to explore archaeology. I've decided against that and digging  (no pun intended) into the past with primary sources is fun is a different way. I wanted a major where I could research and write. 

[8filltheheart]

#1 always wanted to be an engineer.  He went to college for chemE and graduated as a chemE.

 

#2, our Aspie, still doesn't know what he wants to do.

 

#3 was a ping pong ball during high school.  She was all over the place in terms of what she thought she wanted to do. She worked one summer as a caregiver for a severely disabled teen (he functioned on a 16 month old level.)  She loved working with him on his OT exercises.  She went through an Allied health program and is now a COTA.

 

#4 fell in love with physics in 8th grade.  He is a college jr doubling in math and physics and will be applying to grad schools for physics during his sr yr.

 

#5 loves languages. She started talking about doing something with languages early on in high school. She is 12th grader and is applying to colleges as either international business or international relations with Russian and French.

 

#6 (9th grade) has said she wants to be a meteorologist since she was 5 yrs old.  She is very creative, though.  She loves writing and drawing and designing.  I am not convinced that meteorology is going to be her actual direction.  We'll see.  I told her she could always write disaster fiction! ;)

 

 

Edited December 27, 2016 by 8FillTheHeart

[Kassia]

Ds1 graduated with a degree in computer science, minor in business.  He knew as a young teen he'd go into computer science.

 

Ds2 is a senior majoring in electrical engineering with a minor in biomedical engineering.  He didn't know until his senior year in high school what he would major in and I think he's still not sure electrical is where he wants to be.  He is interested in so many things!  

 

Ds3 - is a senior majoring in computer science and engineering with a minor in business.  He knew as a young teen what he wanted to do.

 

Dd - she is 14 and a high school freshman.  She has no idea what she wants to do.  She loves languages and thinks she wants to be a Spanish teacher, but she is an introvert and not sure it's a good match for her.  She is very good at math and I think computer science would be a better match for her.  We'll see.

 

 

[fourisenough]

DD1 (18) just finished her first semester of college as a nursing major. She decided she wanted to be a nurse in middle school, and is thrilled with that decision. Her school begins nursing courses from day 1 and she will begin clinicals next semester.

 

DD2 (16) is undecided, but interested in nursing or a science major with the intent of going on to grad school for OT or PT.

[Guest]

Ds#1 -- mechanical engineering technology

 

Ds#2 -- political science

 

Ds#3 -- recreation management

 

They figured it out in 11th or 12th grade.

Edited December 27, 2016 by Kinsa

[gingersmom]

My daughter knew she wanted to be a nurse since the age of 8. She is in the 2nd year of a 4 year program. Her ultimate plan is to be a nurse practitioner. She is also a global public health minor and a Spanish minor.

 

My son is a junior in high school and is clueless. I am hoping some college courses will help point him in some direction. Graduating college with a random degree and no career path is not an option.

[G5052]

I've told this story before, but my oldest was an academic superstar in high school who had no idea what he wanted to do. He ranged from languages to physics in his interests. He got into two very selective schools, but felt very reluctant about it all. Just before he graduating he was talking about business, but not with a lot of enthusiasm.

 

Thankfully I mentioned that to our piano teacher who has raised four wonderful kids into adulthood. Her advice was to stop pushing and suggest that he just go to the local community college and try some things. She told a story of a friend of her oldest who was just like DS and how it all went wrong because the parents pushed and pushed. That day I went home and talked to DS and proposed that we turn down the other schools and go get him registered at the community college. He was so relieved and couldn't stop hugging me.

 

The advisor nearly spit out his coffee when he saw DS's SAT scores and how many AP's he had when we went to register.

 

It was absolutely the right choice for us. He did indeed fall in love with a business major and has a 4.0. His small, personal classes close to home were perfect for him. He's had some health problems including two surgeries last year because of injury that we helped him through. Next fall he transfers to a top-20 business school for a major in accounting and a minor in business analytics.

 

My next one graduates in June. She's very strong in writing and art. She probably could go anywhere as well, but she wants to go to the same community college first. She's thinking of an English major with a focus writing for business and government with a minor in art. She wants small classes close to home as well. And I expect that we'll shock the advisor again when we go, but it works for us!

Edited December 27, 2016 by G5052

[Matryoshka]

I currently have two college freshmen - One has been fairly sure about a Computer Science major since high school.  She is currently planning on a Computer Science major and a minor in Robotics (though those classes don't come up for another couple of semesters).  She's also now planning on adding a Math minor.

 

Her twin sister has lots of interests, but started to be very vocal about going into Archaeology sometime in her junior year, and that's what she entered as.  Unfortunately, she's been diagnosed with a connective tissue disorder that has been causing her chronic pain, and she's decided she won't physically up to the field aspect of Archaeology.  So she's currently looking to transfer to a larger school in the fall and switch her major to Linguistics or Linguistics and Anthropology with a minor in Philosophy.  The larger university will also enable her to continue to study languages and dabble in new ones if she wants.  She's currently trying to also find an opportunity to teach English abroad over the summer instead of the field school she'd signed up for.

 

Youngest is 16.  I always thought she'd go into something that had math as a component, as it had always been a favorite subject. She also had an intuitive grasp of programming. When she was younger she also had an idea she wanted to do something with video games since she likes to play them (along with half the adolescents in America...) But she doesn't like to do lots of math problems or actually do a lot of programming... too boring. Over the past couple of years she's started to really like doing art, especially on the computer (who saw that coming?).  She currently wants to major in Graphic/Multimedia Design and minor in Marketing and/or Advertising.  She'll graduate next year with a general AA, so that should give her lots of flexibility if she changes her mind.

[MysteryJen]

Ds1 decided as late as possible to be a Spanish major after rolling through English and Creative Writing. Right now, he wants to teach, so Spanish is a pretty good choice for him.

 

Dd1 is undecided (despite lots of pressure from her academic advisor). She would major in Japanese, but it is not offered as a major yet. They did hire another professor and are offering additional higher level courses due to student pressure, so it is very possible that major will be added in a year.

 

Ds2 (16) no idea. Thinking about becoming a librarian.

 

Dd2 (14) business. Wants to own her own store/company.

 

Ds3 (12) he thinks business.

 

Late deciders here. And no stem.

[Liza Q]

My oldest decided on psychology in her sophomore year. She also o took many education classes.

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

[Liza Q]

My oldest decided on psychology in her sophomore year. She also o took many education classes.

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

Trying tapatalk for the first time and i can't figure out how to edit!!

 

Sent from my SPH-L710 using Tapatalk

[Pegasus]

Oh, what a good topic thread!  DD20 is majoring in computer science but never really decided on it.   :huh:   She had no idea what she wanted to major in but had some firm ideas about what she didn't want to study.  I recommended that she take a computer science course or two to see what she thought.  She didn't have a violent aversion to the first few courses so she's sticking with it.  It fits her strengths and personality.

 

DD17 is also unsure.  She currently thinks she wants to combine her interests in art with her interest in technology so is considering graphic design, computer animation, and related fields. She is also interested in music and creative writing and languages or possibly a field of engineering. She hasn't discounted computer science either. I honestly don't know how to guide this one.

 

The first DD struggled to identify an area of study she was interested in and the second is struggling to narrow down her many interests!

 

[Liza Q]

My oldest decided on psychology in her sophomore year of college. She also took many education classes, as she wasn't totally sure what she would do with a degree in psychology. In the end, she got a Masters in Educational Psychology and is working full-time in education research. While in High School, she thought about majoring in English as she is a writer but decided that it might just make her hate reading. She also considered an MFA in Poetry but opted for something more practical. So she gets paid to do statistics and still writes poetry   - just had a chapbook of her work published!

 

My second double majored in International Business and German and minored in Spanish. She was sure about German while she was still in High School - probably 11th grade - and decided to add business during her sophomore year of college. She felt it would be more practical than just German. She is working full-time for a German place here in NYC.

 

My third has wanted to major in Fashion Design since 9th grade or so....we'll see what happens. My youngest is in 11th grade right now and has an interest in Engineering - Civil, maybe Structural, but he thinks that he should take some business classes first, in case he would rather go in that direction. He likes applied math.

 

Edited 'cause typos

Edited December 27, 2016 by Liza Q

[Gwen in VA]

Dd1 started college as a history major, switched and received a BA in art history and a BS in chemistry. She now has a PhD in engineering. But yes, she really did start as a history major.

 

Ds1 started college as an economics major. He added philosophy and math and graduated with a triple major. He now works as a software engineer.

 

But wait -- just when you think that my kids are total flakes who go thhrough a DRAMATIC change in the middle of college, then along comes --

 

Ds2 who decided to go into naval architecture in 9th grade. He is now a naval architect.

 

Dd2 who started making "I'm going to major in music" noises in 8th grade and cemented the decision by the beginning of 10th grade. She is in the middle of her junior year, has had several internships and LOTS of money-making gigs, and has absolutely no regrets. She is starting to talk about grad school.

 

So at least in our family some kids know what they want from the get-go and some are still deciding in the middle of college!

[magic]

DS20 (starting his junior year in January) wanted to be an engineer but wasn't sure what kind until we visited an engineering school the summer before his junior year.  He decided on metallurgical engineering and was also thinking of chemical engineering as a second major.  During his freshman year of college he switched from chemical engineering to nuclear chemistry as his second major.  He is also thinking about getting his teaching degree along the way because he thinks he might want to someday be a college professor (after working as an engineer).  He has filled in for professors several times and will be co-teaching a math class at the college in January.  It is a J-term class (5 hours a day for 10 days) so it will be a good opportunity for him to see how much he likes teaching.

 

DS 18 (graduated in May) is not attending college but is working as a plumbing apprentice.  He should be able to try for his journeyman license in 2017.  He was thinking about going to school as a history teacher but didn't feel like it would be a good career choice.  Last spring we decided to take over the family plumbing business as of 1/1/17.  Once that decision was made, he decided that he wanted to stick with plumbing for now and possible consider college down the line.

 

DS 16 (sophomore) has not really made any decisions but will start apprenticing as a plumber in 2017.  He is thinking that he might want to go into the family business but isn't quite sure.

 

DD 13 (14 in 2 weeks, eighth grader) wants to be a mom but works very hard in her studies.  She is very involved in 4-H, writes monthly articles for the newspaper (the last 2 were each given more than half of the front page), puts on workshops, is very artistic, and enjoys science.  She says that she wants to learn everything she can and share what she knows but wants to get married, have kids, and homeschool them.

[regentrude]

DD double major Physics and an interdisciplinary humanities major.

DS athletic training

[MerryAtHope]

DD 17, Senior in highschool, planning to go into nursing. She decided at the end of her Junior year (but before that wanted to be a coroner for a couple of years).

DS 19, Sophomore in college, trying to decide (there are several fields he's interested in).

 

Most kids change majors even after they get in college (I changed several times but always declared because I didn't want to say I was undecided! DS instead prefers to not declare until he's 100% positive...So I keep praying!)

[lisabees]

DS#1 (23) - Just graduated from Oberlin with physics degree.  Entered Oberlin with no idea of a major - thinking psychology.  Fell in love with math and physics and chose major in Sophomore year.

 

DS#2 (20) - Finance major; chosen when he applied to schools.  He is the practical one.  

 

DS#3 (17) - Wanted to be a physicist since 7th grade, but changed over the summer after attending a Math Camp.  Currently planning to go into Artificial Intelligence Safety, but will be a math major for now.

 

SDD#4 (16) - Returning to public school, after trying to do the ballet thing.  She is a lovely writer and leans towards advocacy/women's rights etc.  She feels like she has to replace one dream with another very specific one.  I told her that just choosing college is a new dream.  A liberal arts college is perfect for her!  

 

DD#5 (13) - Currently enamored with languages and linguistics.  First time she has ever shown interest in academics!  

 

SDD#6 (13) - Hates school; attends public.  After binge watching Grey's Anatomy, she says she wants to be a surgeon.  

 

Edited December 28, 2016 by lisabees

[Bootsie]

dd is a college junior with double majors in German and comparative literary traditions; she knew she wanted something liberal arts and bounced around a bit with English, theology, and philosophy as possible majors

 

ds is a high school junior--planning to major in marketing but considering economics or philosophy and is open to some other possibilities

[Hilltopmom]

Ds, 16 is waffling between engineering (electrical/ computer) & computer science. My best guess is he'll wind up with a combo of some sort.

He's loving an engineering internship this year but also trying to take all the computer science classes our CC offers.

We'll see...

 

Dd, 14 loves kids, books, & psychology. She's volunteering in the children's room at the library this year- helping out or running story time, planning crafts, organizing toys.

I can see her in a care taking position of some sort. She plans to take the childcare track at vo tech when she's old enough. College is not likely for her due to severe learning disabilities.

[katilac]

Oldest dd just finished her first semester of college.  She always liked languages, started DE French in 11th and planned on a French major with a second major of some kind around then. Right now, the plan is a dual major in FLIT and economics, with a minor in math and a certificate in Spanish. FLIT is Foreign Language and International Trade, basically French (or whatever) with an international business concentration. With that, she only needs a few more classes to get the economics major as well. 

 

I wouldn't be surprised at all if she changes her mind once or twice or thrice, just because she likes a lot of different things. And because she actually has not had a business or economics course yet, lol.

 

Youngest dd is in 11th, and really doesn't have all that much interest in what she might wind up doing for a living. 

[mirabillis]

This is so interesting and helpful! My son has no idea at this stage (only 9th grade) - but has an affinity for math, computer programming, business, law, etc...

 

When I filled out a 'pretend' college application (UC), I was surprised that the campuses asked for 1st & alternate majors (although some had choice of undeclared). It seemed they preferred something declared.

 

For so many of you who waffled throughout late high school years, into college - did you declare something or enroll 'undeclared'?

 

Is there an advantage/disadvantage to declaring or not at application time?

[creekland]

This is so interesting and helpful! My son has no idea at this stage (only 9th grade) - but has an affinity for math, computer programming, business, law, etc...

 

When I filled out a 'pretend' college application (UC), I was surprised that the campuses asked for 1st & alternate majors (although some had choice of undeclared). It seemed they preferred something declared.

 

For so many of you who waffled throughout late high school years, into college - did you declare something or enroll 'undeclared'?

 

Is there an advantage/disadvantage to declaring or not at application time?

 

I think mine all put down preferences at application time, but IRL at two of their colleges, official declarations weren't needed until late in sophomore year.  They're well aware that many students change their mind and make it easy for kids to sift through their options.

 

Some colleges accept students based upon major (spreading out the students).  At those colleges, some majors are tougher to get admitted to than others, engineering and architecture being two notorious more difficult ones, but there can also be other programs with limited seats.  The only school middle son was waitlisted at he had tried for a limited major at a lottery school.  

 

Even at some schools where declaring a major is done later, it can be tough to get in to some majors if they are popular.  Again, specifics in engineering come to mind.

 

A couple of advantages of declaring a major can come if a student wants a major a school is just starting or wanting to promote.  That can give one a hook for both admissions and scholarships.

 

A disadvantage, of course, can be with limited slots for competitive majors - but there's no guarantee that going in undeclared and hoping to switch afterward will be easier.

 

As always, see what any individual school does via websites and/or discussion boards.

[Hoggirl]

Ds is majoring in Management Science & Engineering. That's one degree, not a double. It's a hybrid-type degree. His university does not have an undergraduate business college. The degree he chose is sort of business-y, but it is within the college of engineering. It requires the entire engineering core, some CS, some math (it's pretty quant heavy), and then some courses that one might typically find within a business college. I'm often asked if it's like industrial engineering, but it really isn't. Within the degree he chooses one of three specializations. It's pretty unit heavy on degree requirements. He declared the beginning spring quarter of his sophomore year. His school does not have impacted majors and declaration is not required until the end of sophomore year. However, the application asked for three "areas of interest." He wants to do management consulting.

 

When ds started he thought he wanted to major in International Relations. He had been heavily involved (still is) with Model UN in high school. He was on that path until he took Intro to International Relations - ha ha. Then he decided that wasn't for him. He had applied to several schools based on that perceived interest - with regard to strength of programs and location (DC). I am glad he didn't choose a school based on that, and I am always a bit leery of picking schools based on specific, specialized programs. Especially if the school is not as strong in other areas. Yes, I know some students never waiver from an interest that they have at age 5, but changing majors is not uncommon.

 

Our school counselor often recommends doing some aptitude/interest/personality testing for kids who aren't sure of direction. It wasn't necessary for us, but I suppose it could be helpful.

[Arch at Home]

DD1 is currently applying to colleges and is proudly undecided. On applications where a major is to be indicated, she selected undecided every time. One college required an essay declaring her major and why she selected it. For that essay, she went into explaining how there were too many options and how can she decide that a preference if she hasn't tried them. Consequently, it is her intention to go to a 4-year college and take a smorgasborg of classes. If I had to guess, she will end up with some combination of a math, statistics, English major. She would really like to be a musical historian but knows that she will have support that with a day job.

 

As we did our college visits this last year, most colleges did not find it troublesome that she was undecided; in fact, a number felt that the undecided student were the most honest and encouraged exploration.

[J-rap]

My ds started out acting, and then in the last two years switched over to Business Administration with a concentration.  He now has a business-y job with film/writing as more of a hobby.  I'm pretty sure he'll soon get bored with the business-y job.

 

My dd got a degree in advertising design and marketing and is in her first year of her career and enjoys it a lot.

 

Next dd got a degree in French but is absolutely positive she doesn't want to teach French all her life.

 

Last dd is working on a degree in communications and graphic design and really wants to go into makeup artistry.

 

In other words, I'm pretty sure that three of them will end up in careers that have little to nothing to do with their major.  :)

 

 

 

 

[callapidder]

DS1 (18, high school senior) -- planning on majoring in History and going into teaching of some sort. Currently undecided as to whether he wants to pursue History with a secondary education track, or do the grad school route and aim to be a college professor. For a while, he felt like he "should" pick something in business, and said he wanted to be a Marketing major. But he loves History, Church History, etc. and is currently planning to pursue that passion.

 

Our approach has been "study what you love, learn how to learn, and learn to work hard (in and out of school)." Most of my friends and acquaintances didn't know what they wanted to be when they were 18 and changed direction several times along the way, so we haven't stressed too much about him knowing his college major early on. He's a hard worker and will find his way.

[AngieW in Texas]

oldest (23yo)

originally wanted to major in Art, switched to graphic art/design during high school (helped along by HATING her drawing class, but loving computer art classes), majored in Arts&Technology at UT Dallas, but was unhappy that they focused on 3-d animation and had only one class for 2-d animation. Did not graduate. Stopped after 5 semesters. Is thinking of going back to school at local community college for AS in 2-d animation.

 

middle (21yo)

originally wanted to major in psychology, switched to neuroscience in 11th grade, switched to speech pathology during first semester of freshman year at college, added early childhood learning and development during second semester at college. Graduated with double major in speech pathology and early childhood learning and development. Has had a really hard time finding a job. Is actually working part-time as an AVID tutor at a local high school, which doesn't require a college degree. Wants to be an instructional assistant next school year and then apply for grad school to get an MS in speech pathology. Needs to work to save up money for grad school.

 

youngest (18yo)

originally wanted to major in international business, switched to actuarial science during spring of senior year of high school, university has actuarial science only as a minor, so declared major is finance with actuarial science minor, but looking to transfer schools.

[laughing lioness]

ds 22 is an Econ major with a minor in Global Information Systems (EROS is in our area- it's a specialty at State). He decided after taking Intro to Econ. He is also in ROTC and it's a winning combo for some of the areas he would like to pursue. 

[StephanieZ]

DD20 is double majoring in computer science (within the College of Engineering) and math. Computer science is her passion for a career, but she also LOVES math and was taking a lot of extra math classes for fun, and once she realized she had enough spare room in her course plan to get a 2nd major in math, she added that. 

 

DS17 is planning right now on either Chemical or Mechanical Engineering, or possible Comp Sci, and also keeping the pre-med door open for now. I'm guessing he'll not want to work for all the As he'd need for being pre-med, and that he'll likely setting into of the engineering or Comp Sci majors without continuing pre-med, because I just don't see him being willing to work for As in (nearly) every class . . . 

 

DD14 is still an unwritten book for college plans. She's talking pre-med or pre-vet, and I can see her excelling at anything she wants to do. 

[FaithManor]

Dd decided on chemistry after entering college, previously planning on nursing. She satisfied her need for human medicine by managing EMT school and then paramedic school plus college. Don't know how she did it. That's dd. Wonder woman. Has been since she was born. At any rate, she adores chemistry and human medicine, but won't be returning to paramedic work. She injured her back on the very last call she took before being off for her touch and go pregnancy/bed rest. That back injury during the pregnancy was agony. She is now in a good place with her health, and lifting patients, rescue, heavy equipment....nope, not happening in the future. She may to to work as an IV tech at the hospital. She is amazing with a needle. But she is glad that finished her chem because it is simply one of her first loves.

 

Ds decided on English/Writing/Journalism junior year of high school but later in that semester so we did some quick scrambling to change the short list for applications because he had previously been planning on computer science - software engineering.

 

2nd ds decided on something related to freshwater sciences/water ecology/environmental science by his freshman year of high school. It has been his passion since late elementary school. He is currently enrolled in the only Freshwater Science and Sustainability niche degree program in the US. He's happy as a lark. LOL, his anthropology professor keep trying to get him to change though. They have a tight bond, and ds is very good in that discipline as well.

[DawnM]

Oldest is currently doing a CC program in Simulation and Game Development.  He wants ultimately to do Animation, so I am hoping he may be able to do a 4 year program in Animation.

Edited January 3, 2017 by DawnM

[-M-]

My daughters, 20 and 19, are college juniors. It seems as if the younger has always known she would major in physics (although she briefly toyed with the idea of engineering). The older had thought she might study zoology but chose psychology.

Edited January 5, 2017 by M--

[katilac]

 

youngest (18yo)

originally wanted to major in international business, switched to actuarial science during spring of senior year of high school, university has actuarial science only as a minor, so declared major is finance with actuarial science minor, but looking to transfer schools.

 

My dd also looked at both international business and actuarial science! Right now, as a freshman, she is doing Foreign Language and International Trade (pretty much international business with specific language requirements), but planning on a math minor. 

 

Just in case you aren't aware, you don't need the specific degree to be an actuary. You need to be able to pass the tests, of course, but plenty of people do that with other degrees. We spoke with a friend's boss, who employs two actuaries, and I think they both have math degrees (definitely neither have actuary majors nor minors). If your dd's school has a minor, she's in pretty good shape already. I'd weigh the chances to get internships and work experience more heavily than major vs minor, personally. 

[Kassia]

My dd also looked at both international business and actuarial science! Right now, as a freshman, she is doing Foreign Language and International Trade (pretty much international business with specific language requirements), but planning on a math minor. 

 

Just in case you aren't aware, you don't need the specific degree to be an actuary. You need to be able to pass the tests, of course, but plenty of people do that with other degrees. We spoke with a friend's boss, who employs two actuaries, and I think they both have math degrees (definitely neither have actuary majors nor minors). If your dd's school has a minor, she's in pretty good shape already. I'd weigh the chances to get internships and work experience more heavily than major vs minor, personally. 

 

My daughter is only in 9th grade and has no idea what to major in - she's so interested in languages, but loves math.  She was interested in actuarial science, but now really wants to do something with foreign languages.  She's very introverted and is afraid to choose something where she has to interact with a lot of people.  I thought some kind of programming would be good for her or actuarial science, but I will support whatever she chooses when the time comes.  

[swimmermom3]

My youngest was always fascinated with stories on NPR that had to do with money trails, finance and politics.  Daily trips for swim practice offered lots of fodder for him to ask questions.  His first two years of high school, he thought he wanted to be a business major, but then he took an AP Macroeconomics class his junior year and was hooked.  The focus lasted only into his senior year when he took 3 AP classes: US History, US Government, and Comparative Government.  He is now in his first year of college working on his BA in International Relations with a focus on foreign policy and national security. It really is a perfect fit for him.  His two favorite classes the first semester were World Politics and a seminar class on "Inside Modern China."

[zaichiki]

ds(17) is a high school senior applying to colleges as an aerospace engineering major.  He decided two years ago, but I think it has always been there... when  he was little he thought he wanted to be a fighter pilot... then it was a test pilot... now  he wants to make the plans that the test pilots fly. (Thank Goodness!  Now Mom can breathe!)

 

dd(14) is a high school freshman. She decided last year that she wants to attend a very selective conservatory and she is serious. Since she was 7 she's been saying she wants to be a "professional violist," so it's not a surprise.

 

ds(11) has said for years that he's going to be an inventor. For years!  He's never said anything else (we encourage discussion about many professions, interests, etc., but for him it has always been inventing).  He talks all the time about all the stuff he's going to invent. Can't wait to look back on this is ten years... LOL

[Ivey]

Ds22 has always been indecisive about his major and career goals, and he's gone back and forth so much that I've barely kept up. He applied to college as biomedical engineering major and wrote that he wanted to eventually become an orthopedic surgeon, but by the time registration came around, he'd changed his mind and instead started out as a physics major. I'm not sure how many times he officially changed his major, but in his first two years he switched paths from physics to English to classical studies to linguistics to psychology (that I know of). He graduated last spring with a major in psychology and minors in English and linguistics, and is now working on his PhD in educational psychology.

 

Ds19 has wanted to design skate parks for a living since he was 14 or 15. Last year, when we were investigating diploma and degree programs together, we came across "industrial design" and that's his current goal. He's taking classes at the community college for now, and will likely transfer to the local university after 2 years. 

 

Ds17 has been planning to study biomedical engineering since he was 15, and is waiting to hear about his college applications. 

[jewellsmommy]

Dd (14) is 9th grade and has her mind set on a BA in animation at a nearby university. Even if the specifics change, I have no doubt that she will stay within the realm of the art world. She draws well with many mediums, paints beautifully, and has started using the computer to create some hybrid art where she scans in some of her hand drawn art and finishes it on the computer. It has yielded some creative works. Her main focus is anime/manga currently.

 

I have always enjoyed artistic endeavors, but I am a bio-sciences girl all the way. Dh is an engineering/computers/robotics guy. ...And then here is our artsy dd.  :lol: