Determining a college major

[Shelydon]

Does anyone know a website or any type of resource that helps students determine a college major?  I have a student that is interested in all types of art, graphic design, computer science, geography, maps.  We have found a degree called Geoinformatics Systems at college in Texas, but would love to find some other degree ideas to explore.

 

Thanks!

 

[Lori D.]

Does the student know what school s/he will be attending? That might be the way to start -- school that is affordable, and then explore what degrees the school offers. Some colleges offer integrated degrees, which allow the student to combine 2 separate interests. A friend of mine had a DS go through a program like that which combined media arts with computer science.

[Alicia64]

Definitely following. 🙃

[Lori D.]

Career exploration might also be the way to go -- read about different occupations, and they list what college major/degree goes with that occupation. Here are 3 resources for free career exploration:

- US Bureau of Labor: Occupational Outlook Handbook -- info about occupations, with "similar occupations" link, and what degree/major is needed
- Career Clusters -- download/print the free student survey; can explore occupations at 
- CA Career Zone --
1. take the free interest survey to find your top 3 of 6 interests (your "Holland code")
2. then use that "code" in the quick assessment tool to come up with a list occupations to explore
3. or explore various fields of study -- info about the occupations (many with short videos), with what degree/major is needed

In the "College Motherlode" thread pinned at the top of the WTM College Board, on PAGE 6, are linked past threads on Career Exploration. In my posts in some of those past threads, I give more info about those 3 career exploration options I list above.

Here are two of those threads that are linked in that pinned thread:
- Career testing/counseling (2nd post links tons of resources for tests, exploration, curricula, etc.)
- How to explore possible career/major fits? 

________________________________

Or, here are 3 resources for researching college majors:
- Princeton Review: "Guide to Choosing Majors" article + search engine of majors
- College Majors 101
- College Board: Big Future: Major and Career Search

[Shelydon]

3 hours ago, Lori D. said:

Does the student know what school s/he will be attending? That might be the way to start -- school that is affordable, and then explore what degrees the school offers. Some colleges offer integrated degrees, which allow the student to combine 2 separate interests. A friend of mine had a DS go through a program like that which combined media arts with computer science.

Not yet.  We are planning on picking a school based on what degree she would like to get

[Shelydon]

3 hours ago, Lori D. said:

Career exploration might also be the way to go -- read about different occupations, and they list what college major/degree goes with that occupation. Here are 3 resources for free career exploration:

- US Bureau of Labor: Occupational Outlook Handbook -- info about occupations, with "similar occupations" link, and what degree/major is needed
- Career Clusters -- download/print the free student survey; can explore occupations at 
- CA Career Zone --
1. take the free interest survey to find your top 3 of 6 interests (your "Holland code")
2. then use that "code" in the quick assessment tool to come up with a list occupations to explore
3. or explore various fields of study -- info about the occupations (many with short videos), with what degree/major is needed

In the "College Motherlode" thread pinned at the top of the WTM College Board, on PAGE 6, are linked past threads on Career Exploration. In my posts in some of those past threads, I give more info about those 3 career exploration options I list above.

Here are two of those threads that are linked in that pinned thread:
- Career testing/counseling (2nd post links tons of resources for tests, exploration, curricula, etc.)
- How to explore possible career/major fits? 

________________________________

Or, here are 3 resources for researching college majors:
- Princeton Review: "Guide to Choosing Majors" article + search engine of majors
- College Majors 101
- College Board: Big Future: Major and Career Search

Thank you, off too look!

[Arcadia]

My current junior tried some of the websites that @Lori D. suggested. He finally narrow down by taking dual enrollment courses.  He started high school thinking he wanted to double or triple major but was not sure in what.

[Shelydon]

36 minutes ago, Arcadia said:

My current junior tried some of the websites that @Lori D. suggested. He finally narrow down by taking dual enrollment courses.  He started high school thinking he wanted to double or triple major but was not sure in what.

Mine has taken several dual credit classes, but only core classes like history, government and economics.  Our local systems won't allow anything beyond the core classes.

[Arcadia]

5 minutes ago, Shelydon said:

Mine has taken several dual credit classes, but only core classes like history, government and economics.  Our local systems won't allow anything beyond the core classes.

That’s sad. Does the career counseling department there help with career exploration and choosing potential majors? 

[Farrar]

YouScience or Career Explorer (I think that's the name?) have affordable tests and will suggest majors. I have mixed feelings about them, but one of them could be a starting point. I've had kids like the detail of the YouScience report.

[Bootsie]

Many students change degrees once they get to the university.  Also, careers and degrees do not necessarily line up as much as one would think.  Someone may go, for example, into advertising design with a marketing major, communiations art major, graphics design major, psychology major, etc.  And, the typical path will vary from school to school.   Or, a student finds that one school offers a very specific degree, like energy economics, but the student could do an economics degree at another school and replicate the "energy economics" degree by picking partiuclar electives in geology or double majoring.  

Because of that I would not get too narrow on a major and then pick a school.  I would look for general trends--a student who wants to do something in science would pick a school with good science options, etc.  It would be different if the student had a specific area that they knew they wanted to study that requried a particular degree--nursing, pharmacy, architecture.  Then the schools being considered must offer those degree programs.  

[daijobu]

Does Your College Major Matter

Falling in Love with your Major

Should Your Major Be Your Passion?

Advice for College Freshmen

[Lanny]

There is another path and that is to apply "Undeclared Major". Or "Undecided".   I believe that some universities require all students to do that, based on the School Fair we attended in Bogota, during the first week of May in 2018.  That was almost 3 years ago. There were 4 private universities that had sent reps to the School Fair: Harvard College, University of Pennsylvania (they invited DD), Duke University and George Washington University (?) in Washington DC. A Catholic school.

At least one of those universities required all students to begin as undeclared.

My DD applied undeclared and then at the end of her Freshman year she declared a Major and a Minor.

I believe there is a drawback to applying undeclared and that may increase the percentages of applications that are rejected.