Answers from the Experts

"I'm unsure about what major is right for me. This stays on mind even though I'm just a junior in high school because I think that around this time I should have decided on at least top 3 majors in which I would like to pursue. I have no clue on what career I want to pursue and that to me is a major problem. Even though I don't know exactly what I want to go to college for, I should have a feeling of what field of interest I want a job in." Responses were sent from: University of Alabama, Elizabethtown College, Illinois College, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Mount Holyoke College, California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), Drexel University, California State University - Sacramento, Foundation of New York State Nurses, Carleton College, Bethany College, Anderson College, Association of American Medical Colleges, and Rochester Institute of Technology. Member Institution and Association Answers:

From the University of Alabama: Many students enter college with very defined ideas as to a major, only to find that after a semester of taking general classes in many different areas of interest, their career choice has changed. It is not uncommon for a student to change majors two or three times during their college career. Usually, upon entrance to a College or University, you are given interest surveys, which are good indicators as to what types of subjects and career choices best mesh with your daily interest. Follow these interests and you will find your studies begin to unfold into the direction of a particular major. Carolyn Rogers University of Alabama carolyn.rogers@ua.edu

From Elizabethtown College: The feelings you have are not abnormal. Many high school students, both juniors and seniors, are unsure what they want to pursue as a major. It might seem that many of your colleagues know they want to be pre-med or a business major, but there are also many others who are "undecided," the college term for being unsure, about what to pursue in their future. In fact, almost every college recognizes that some students do not know what they want to do once they get there. Instead of telling the students they must choose a major to enter under, most colleges offer the student to be an undecided person. No college wants to force or push a major on a student, especially if it turns out to be something a student is completely uninterested in. Colleges want students to graduate and be successful in what they do and to do that, a student needs to pursue something they truly have an interest in. Therefore a student who is undecided often has many resources to help them as they take college classes such as academic advising, professional clubs, and mentors. Any advice would fall along the goal of those resources. The major you want to study, or the career you want to pursue, needs to fit you, and discovering them is much like choosing the right college. Both are very important decisions and should not be rushed, but researched and thought about seriously. Take your time too. Most colleges don't make students declare a major until the end of their sophomore year in college, and even then, if you still haven't made up your mind, they'll still continue to help you. Just take some intro classes in what you believe your passions are, get a feel for each major you have an interest in, and if you have time, participate in clubs you feel could help. Also never feel hesitate to ask people questions, be they peers, staff, or teachers. Even as a high school student, you can do similar actions by choosing what type of classes you want to take your senior year and talking to teachers. They might have a glimpse of what you could do professionally. Another very helpful and important resource is your guidance office. They have books about careers and majors a student can pursue, and some even have the ability to do career testing to figure out what job your traits and skills match with. Finally, the best advice is just do what you want to do. Your major does not decide what you pursue or do in life, YOU do. Like I said before, lots of students go to college not knowing what to do. Many students also often change their majors in college and many people pursue careers not even related to their major after they graduate. Majors help you to reach your goal of what you want to do, but by not being in a major doesn't mean it will stop you from meeting your goal. Discover what you like and think about what you want to accomplish. Once you figure that out, follow it as best as you can. Franklin Shen Multicultural Recruitment Counselor Office of Admission Elizabethtown College One Alpha Drive Elizabethtown, PA 17022 shenf@etown.edu

From the Illinois College: As a liberal arts college, we actually prefer students coming in as an undecided student. We feel the first two years can be an excellent opportunity for students to "find" themselves and have an interest for life long learning. Many jobs change over time, people change careers often, and a liberal arts education will give the student the necessary skills to be successful in many different careers and jobs. Rick Bystry Illinois College rlbystry@hilltop.ic.edu

From the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: This student should not feel pressured at all by these. Last time I checked, the National averages among college students were around 70% of them are either undecided or change their major within their first two years of college. In addition, the average American has about 12 different jobs and works in 7 different career fields before they retire. Because of these realities, I encourage young people to identify those subjects that they are passionate about, academic and otherwise as well as push them to recognize the types of challenges that intrigue and engage them the most. (There are enough academic majors and interdisciplinary programs across the country that students should not have to feel pigeon-holed into one discipline.) If they follow those leads, they will likely find universities that support their interest and can help them reach their potential and make their academic, professional, and personal goals a reality. Michael E. Moore Associate Dean & Director of Minority Recruitment Office of Enrollment Management Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Troy, NY 12180-3590 moorem5@rpi.edu 518-276-8046 Phone 518-276-4072 Fax http://admissions.rpi.edu/ http://admissions.rpi.edu/counselor_web/michaelm

From the Mount Holyoke College: It is great that you are so on the ball and already thinking about these issues as a junior in high school! I want to ease your mind a bit and let you know that you don't have to have it all figured out yet! There are plenty of amazing institutions that have excellent majors in many different fields. I would encourage you to explore small, liberal arts colleges, as they provide students with the opportunity to try out different things, and declare a major as late as the end of the sophomore year in college. It is important to have some idea of what you excel in and what you enjoy, just to be sure that those areas are an option at the school you choose, but please don't feel pressure to choose (or even to narrow to only three) right now. I started college as a Theatre/Music major and ended up as a Psychology major! Take care and good luck! Caissa McClinton Assistant Director of Admission Mount Holyoke College camcclin@mtholyoke.edu

From California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly): First of all, don't be overly alarmed that you don't know what major you are most interested in ... Second, it is good that you are thinking about it now and by asking questions, you can begin doing something ... You may want to take a look at the ACT exam ... WHY? The ACT Interest Inventory, which is usually completed when students register for the ACT Assessment. The "Your Educational/Occupational Planning" section of the Student Report provides students with an interpretation based on World-of-Work Map regions ... students can get information on Career Options from the results of the assessment ... From this assessment students can then combine their interest with their abilities to develop a list of occupations and/or educational programs to explore ... as a junior there is still time to explore ... Walter Harris Cal Poly wharris@calpoly.edu

From Drexel University: It's perfectly normal not to be sure about your college major while you're in high school. In addition to the fact that your career plans aren't completely formalized yet, new fields of interest and study are being created every day. Fields like nanotechnology, bio-informatics and computational biology didn't exist even five years ago, so it's a good sign that you haven't closed yourself off from the many possibilities that are and will become available to you. Making the situation even more complicated is that there is no one "right" career for you--or for anyone else for that matter. There are many, but they all probably have many things in common. Finding out what those "right" careers have in common is probably your first goal. In order to begin to focus in on the right career (and the right major) for you, you have to look inward and really begin to assess your strengths, your weaknesses and your interests. What are your favorite high school subjects? What kinds of activities do you choose to do in your free time? Are you primarily a thinker, or primarily a doer? Do you want to work directly with other people, or do you like to work alone? Do you have skills developed through many years of practice—e.g. dance, athletics or music? Do your interests fall mainly in the humanities, in the arts, in science and math, in business or in technology fields? Have you taken the pre-requisite high school courses to gain admission to the field you are interested in? (eg. If you are interested in engineering, have you taken four years of math up to and including at least pre-calculus, if you are interested in fine art, do you have a portfolio?) Do you like to have a routine, or do you think of yourself as more creative, or a free spirit? Lastly, if someone were to ask you to describe your ideal job, what would it look like? Would it include a lot of travel, would it be in a large corporation, would it be hands on, or primarily managerial? What are your financial requirements? Once you have begun to know your answers to the above and other questions of a similar nature, general areas of interest will begin to emerge--ie. science, humanities, arts, business, technology, health. Begin to look at college catalogues and the descriptions of majors within these broad areas. Are the courses that you would take in these majors of interest to you? Are they things that you can envision yourself committing many hours of study and effort towards? If not, it's probably not a good match. On the other hand, if you find yourself getting excited about the possibility of actually taking these classes, you're getting close to the mark. The next step is to visit colleges that actually offer these majors, and talk to people in those careers. The Internet is a wonderful tool, and you can use it to your advantage. Research careers that you are interested in. If you're interested in health, for instance, can you begin to make a distinction between being a doctor, dentist, nurse, veterinarian, paramedic, coroner or forensic pathologist? What begins to speak to you? After all this, if the answer is "nothing", then apply to a college that specializes in helping students focus on their options. In many colleges, including this one, fully 25% of our entering freshmen begin their college experience as "major not yet determined" Lastly, if you decide to major in, say, "engineering", and find when you get to college that you really want "business", don't panic. That's what "electives" were invented for; most foundation courses will transfer into a variety of majors and programs. Education is never a waste of time, and you'll figure it out eventually. Suzanne Rocheleau Associate Dean Pennoni Honors College Drexel University rocheleau@drexel.edu

From California State University - Sacramento: Clueless about a college major? Not everyone agrees why and when this decision is important. Some people say it doesn't matter because you are simply "learning to learn" in college. Other people insist that it is vital because your whole life will be affected by your decision. Who do you listen to? Well, that all depends. The big picture It's true that learning is a lifelong process and the actual content of what you may learn in any given class may be less important at some point in the future. As you gain work experience, you build skills and knowledge that go beyond your choice of major. After a while, your specific degree becomes less important than your work experience. The degree becomes a minimum requirement for employment more than proof of your knowledge. So, maybe your choice of major is not so important. But, on the other hand, you still need to think about this. Your degree helps to set the direction of your career. Why your major matters You're about to spend a lot of time and money studying something. It might as well be something that interests you ands that can take you closer to where you want to be in life. Depending on where you want to go in life, some majors may help to get you there, while others won't. That's pretty obvious. For example, you want to be an accountant; you probably won't want to choose a major in something totally unrelated, like sociology. Why it's so hard to decide You don't know where to look for information and you have lots of interests. There are lots of resources to help you. Check out the career center at your high school. Start to do your "homework" now. You can't -- and shouldn't -- choose a major in two hours, two days, or even two weeks. Once you've figured out what interests you, try it on for size. Most colleges and universities have general education requirements in the area of your interest. Thinking about science? Be sure to keep up with your math. The key is to continue to develop your skills while you keep your options open. Talk to people who do what you're thinking about. Try to see yourself in their shoes. If what they do doesn't turn you on, keeping looking Talk to college or university faculty in the departments in which you have some interest. They really want to help you. Read and surf the web. Remember You've got time. So, breathe. You don't have to choose before you go to college, or even in your first year. And remember, some of the most successful students started out as "undecided". Victoria Valle Associate Vice President for Enrollment Management California State University - Sacramento vvalle@csus.edu 916-278-6060

From Foundation of New York State Nurses: Suggestions would be for the individual to evaluate his or her strengths and weaknesses academically. In what courses does the person demonstrate high achievement? Secondly, the individual can determine which courses he or she liked/enjoyed the most, which may not necessarily be the ones showing the highest achievement. Thirdly, the individual can think about what makes him or her feel positive and/or good about what he or she is doing right now. If the answers to those questions end up centering around one or two career choices, that might be the answer. If they do not, try for a match with academic achievement and feeling positive. If the choice narrows, great! Then it is important to meet people who are already in the field of interest. Many colleges have alumni association whose members are available to talk about a specific career. If no inspiration is drawn from the above, the individual can think about people he or she respects, what they do and if that might be something of interest. Although the person is "only a junior" it is important to struggle with this now so a focus on the goal can be established. Once a path is clear, different courses may be needed etc. Last and certainly not least is to try to gain feedback from friends, respected teachers and parents about what they think might be a good career for the person. Thanks for the opportunity to comment. Susan Fraley Foundation, New York State Nurses sfraley@foundationnysnurses.org

From Carleton College: My advice would be don't worry so much about that right now. Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to know exactly what you want to major in and what career path you want to take when you're 16 years old. In fact, liberal arts colleges are designed for students just like you who may want to try out a variety of different disciplines before deciding exactly what they want to major in. At many liberal arts colleges, for example, you don't even declare your major until the end of your sophomore year! Here's another tip, most students who enter college knowing that they will pursue a particular major still don't really know what they'll major in. In fact, as many as 80% of students who enter college with a particular major in mind end up majoring in something other than what they originally thought they'd major in. While this may be somewhat reassuring on the one hand, on the other hand you may be thinking that you'd still like to have some idea as to what you'd like to do with the rest of your life. Here are some tips that might help you figure it out: Think about your favorite classes now. What do you like about them? Do you enjoy reading and analyzing texts? Do you enjoy solving problems? Do you enjoy working in groups? Think about your favorite courses and why you enjoy them. That will give you some idea of what kinds of things you enjoy doing. Once you've gained some notion of what you like to do, you can begin to look for other courses and disciplines that offer that kind of opportunity. While you're still in that looking stage, and especially during your first year of college, take a wide variety of courses and challenge yourself. Sample everything from the sciences and math to the social sciences to the humanities. Even take courses that you thought you'd hate, sometimes those courses prove to be the most interesting. The important thing is to find something that you enjoy doing. Good Luck! Robert Williams Carleton College Admissions Counselor 1-800-995-2275 rwilliam@acs.carleton.edu

From Bethany College: Many students enter college with very defined ideas as to major, only to find that after a semester of taking general classes in many different areas of interest, their career choice has changed. It is not uncommon for a student to change majors two or three times during their college career. Usually, upon entrance to a College or University, you are given interest surveys, which are good indicators as to what types of subjects and career choices best mesh with your daily interest. Follow these interests and you will find your studies begin to unfold into the direction of a particular major. You are not alone while you are still deciding on a major. Most students your age are still deciding. Relax and don't pressure yourself about this. You have plenty of time between now and your sophomore year in college to make a final decision. Perhaps, you may need to sample some college courses in your freshmen year and make a visit to the career services office on campus for diagnostic testing on interest and skill levels, and career preference before arriving at a final decision on your major. Whatever you do take your time. This is one decision that will have lasting affects on your future. Thandabantu B. Maceo Dean of Enrollment Management, Dean of Enrollment Management Bethany College 421 N. First Street Lindsborg, KS 67456 785.227.3380 ext. 8274 maceot@bethanylb.edu

From Anderson College: There is nothing wrong with not knowing what you want to major in before you go to college. I went to college thinking I wanted to major in education, then I declared a business major, but finally changed and graduated with a communication degree. My advice for you is to think about the things that you like to do and might want to major in, but then don't even think about declaring a major until your second year. A great thing about the general education classes that you take is that they allow you to study a broad range of topics. After you have a year under your belt, chances are that you will have narrowed down what you want to major in to one or two areas. If you can't decide on just one, you can always minor in the other one. After that, if you end up changing your mind or your major, don't worry too much. You will not be the first person to do so. Just make sure that you sample a little bit of everything first and then go with what interests you the most. Good luck. Jared Christensen Admissions Counselor Anderson College 316 Boulevard Anderson, SC 29621 (864) 231-2030 ext.2005 jchristensen@ac.edu

From Association of American Medical Colleges: I think the first year of college should be exploratory for those who are not certain. Unfortunately, we are losing the explorative aspect, probably because of prohibitive tuition costs. I would recommend this individual discover his/her niche by "doing" and "paying attention to interactions". Career Recruitment conferences, career assessment tools, there are a number of internet-based tools available. Participate in a summer program geared toward exploration of careers. Even if the program focuses on a specific career, the experience may trigger other options. Also, he/she should begin to pay close attention to interactions with professionals. Begin to ask questions of those folks. Hope this helps! Kevin Harris Senior Staff Associate & SMEP Deputy Director Association of American Medical Colleges kharris@aamc.org 202/828-0409

From Rochester Institute of Technology: Many students are unsure of their major choices as a junior or senior. It is not uncommon. I would encourage any juniors to attend college junior programs. Most colleges have programs specifically for juniors to assist them with the college process. Also, visit schools that have the majors that you are interested in. The summer is a good time to visit colleges, but do not feel the need to wait until then. I suggest visiting admissions, taking a tour, and speaking with faculty and current students if it is possible. Pay attention to the courses you enjoy in high school, as many students pick majors based on their interests. If all else fails, apply as an undeclared major. Most colleges have an undeclared option for students who cannot commit to a major. This will give you the opportunity to explore options throughout your first year. Sally M. Douglas Assistant Director of Admissions Rochester Institute of Technology 60 Lomb Memorial Drive Rochester, NY 14623 585-475-5497 smdadm@rit.edu