GUIDE TO EXPLORING

COLLEGE MAJORS

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 Choosing a major is tough.

Not only are colleges asking a 16- or 17-year-old to decide what

they want to study for the next four years, but the decision also
has the potential to impact the rest of the student’s life. It’s fair
to assume the majority of teenagers are not absolutely sure about
what they want to study in college. Some may be debating between
majors in similar fields of study; others may be entirely unsure.
And that’s okay.

Students wonder if their intended major will alter their college

acceptance odds or not. At some schools (typically large, public
universities), certain majors are impacted, meaning the number of
students pursuing a degree in that major exceed the resources available
to the major’s department. But every school is different when it
comes to how they weigh majors. One college or university may
take a student’s major declaration into account in their admissions
review, while another doesn’t.

This guide is intended to help you and your student navigate the
journey of choosing a college major. We’ll offer suggestions for how
to approach the process, important stats about majors and their
career tracks, information about how a major choice will affect
your student’s high school years, and much more.

COLLEGEMATCHPOINT.COM 2
5 THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN
CHOOSING A COLLEGE MAJOR
Choosing a college major is exciting — but a little scary. After all, TERMINOLOGY
a student’s major choice will dictate much of what happens in the
MAJOR: A major represents a degree-seeking
following four years and possibly for the rest of their lives. That’s why student’s primary field of study. A major
it’s so important to choose thoughtfully: students need to think is a structured plan of study requiring a
about it from all angles to be sure that their major will serve them minimum of credit hours, defined by the
well both during college and after they graduate. To get started, here college or university
are five important things for a student to consider when choosing MINOR: A minor represents an optional,
their college major. secondary field of study for a degree-seeking
student; student can’t declare a major and
1 STUDENT INTEREST a minor in the same discipline. A minor is a
structured plan of study requiring a minimum
A student’s college major is a huge part of their lives, both during of 15 credit hours and no more than 29 credit
hours exclusive of student teaching. A minor
college and beyond. And that’s why it’s crucial that students base their
should require significant additional
major pick on who they are: mentally, intellectually, and emotionally. coursework beyond what is already
required for a related major. The minor
Students should think about their interests first and foremost. Do appears on the official transcript.
they enjoy tinkering and fixing things? Maybe they should consider
CONCENTRATION: A concentration is a
Engineering. Do they love learning about the people who came before
structured plan of study within a major. The
them and how they shaped the world as it is today? History might number of credit hours for a concentration
be a good choice. Are they deeply involved in student government? varies, but is included within the credit
They might want to try Political Science. hours for the major. The concentration
appears on the official transcript.
But it’s not that simple: beyond interest and involvement, students
CERTIFICATE: An undergraduate certificate
should consider their aptitude for a subject. It’s great for a student is a structured set of professionally oriented
to challenge themselves with their coursework, but if they’re going to courses designed to provide recognition
devote four years — and a future career — to a subject, they should that the student has completed coursework
in an applied area of focus. For degree-seeking
feel confident in their ability to understand it and dig deep into it.
students, a certificate program may either
complement or be concurrent with a traditional
2 OUT-OF-SCHOOL EXPERIENCES
program of study. The certificate appears
on the official transcript.
A college major isn’t just about the classes a student will take. What
they study in school will likely change what they spend their career IMPACTED MAJOR: An undergraduate
doing, so it’s important for students to explore experiences outside of major is designated as impacted when the
number of applications received from fully
school to give them a sense of what it would be like to have a career qualified applicants exceeds the number of
in a given field. Hands-on learning opportunities can help prospective available spaces. Colleges can also refer to
students understand which majors might be a good match for them. these majors as capped.

There are many ways to get this type of experience. Informational

interviews are a great way to get other people’s perspectives on Source: National Association for
College Admission Counseling
careers in specific fields. Or students can try to experience these
careers first-hand, either by job shadowing, volunteering, or
completing internships.

COLLEGEMATCHPOINT.COM 3
 3 REQUIREMENTS OF THE MAJOR

The idea of a major can be very different from the reality of a

major. That doesn’t mean a student should reject a major just
because it has a requirement or two that the student isn’t excited
about. But it does mean they should research the program to see
what’s expected of them. If more than a few courses don’t grab the
student, it might be time for them to rethink their major choice.

Of course, each school will have different requirements for a major,

but if a student checks out the website for their first choice school,
they should be able to get a sense of what’s generally required for a
specific major.

SALARIES FOR CAREERS CONNECTED

4 TO THE MAJOR

Money isn’t everything — but it is something. Before picking a major,

it can be valuable for prospective and current college students to
know which majors are more or less likely to lead to a high salary.
Students who have an idea of what they’ll make after college can get
a jump start on budgeting for things like graduate school. Plus, they
can decide if pursuing a specific major is worth the financial trade-off.

The differences in salary among majors are pretty stark. The website
PayScale provides some statistics for college grads who’ve been out
of school between zero and five years and whose highest degree is a
Bachelor’s. Students who majored in Math and Computer Science had
a median starting salary of $68,893, while students who majored in
Education had a median salary of $37,426. Even if it doesn’t end up
affecting their decision, at the very least, it’s important for students
to know those numbers before making their choice.

5 THE POSSIBILITY OF GRAD SCHOOL

When a college student intends to go to graduate school, certain

majors may be more ideal than others. For example, if a student
knows they want to get an advanced degree in Journalism, they’ll
want to have a major that allows them to take lots of relevant courses
to show off on their grad school applications, so something like
Communications or Writing might be appropriate. Another example:
if your student hopes to get an MBA, it may surprise you to know
that many selective MBA programs prefer students who did not
major in Business as an undergraduate.

COLLEGEMATCHPOINT.COM 4
USING APTITUDES TO
GUIDE THE CHOICE OF MOST POPULAR MAJORS
A COLLEGE MAJOR Number of
There are countless factors that will go into selecting a college Rank Major Degrees Awarded
major. But for students who are struggling to make that 1
Business
289,384
decision, we advise they choose the major that best matches and Management
their aptitudes. A study by the Johnson O’Connor Research 2 Nursing 141,632
Foundation shows that students are less likely to change majors
if they choose their major based on their aptitudes — that is, 3 Psychology 127,066

based on what they’re naturally inclined toward.

4 Biology 120,375

Impact of Using Aptitudes to Determine College Major 5 Engineering 117,553

6 Education 102,219

38%
Changed 62% 50% 50% 7 Communications 98,949
Stayed Changed Stayed
Finance and
8 98,663
Accounting

9 Criminal Justice 63,961

Students Using Aptitudes Students Not Using Aptitudes
Anthropology
Source: Johnson O’Connor Research Foundation, 2017 10 57,630
and Sociology

11 Computer Science 55,843

There are a number of reasons students tend not to follow their
aptitudes. In some cases, students go with what they know. For 12 English 44,121
example, a student who (a) has two parents that are engineers, (b)
13 Economics 39,022
attended a STEM charter school, and (c) believes career prospects
are strongest in engineering is likely to choose an engineering 14 Political Science 38,630
major. In other cases, students go with what they love or feel
they are currently passionate about. Interest is important, for 15 History 37,640
sure, but it isn’t the same as aptitude. For example, just because Kinesiology and
a student loves nature, they might not excel in an Environmental 16 37,085
Physical Therapy
Science major if they struggled in Biology class.
17 Health Professions 35,733
Another issue is that there’s a strong societal bias surrounding
18 Art 29,022
aptitudes. For instance, it’s commonly believed that males have a
stronger aptitude for science, technology, engineering, and math 19 Math 28,732
(STEM). But YouScience has found that 64% of female students
Environmental
have the aptitudes for STEM careers, which means that if you’re 20 27,031
Science
a female student, it’s more than likely that you have that aptitude.
21 Foreign Languages 23,204
It’s important to guide your student away from these biases Source: National Center for Education Statistics
and toward their aptitudes when selecting a major.

COLLEGEMATCHPOINT.COM 5
CAREER TRENDS TO
CONSIDER IN EVALUATING
COLLEGE MAJORS
While previous generations may have headed off to college to USING INFORMATIONAL
explore options and expand their minds, today’s high school
INTERVIEWS TO HELP
graduates are much more focused and pragmatic. Savvy high
school students are more likely than ever to want to link college
DETERMINE YOUR MAJOR
studies to actual jobs upon graduation. Schools have picked up So what exactly is an informational interview,
on this trend (and current political threats to defund humanities and why would your student do one? Basically,
an informational interview is just a simple
programs are adding to the urgency), and bastions of liberal arts way to learn about a job or career by having
are all adding programming that includes a focus on data and a conversation with someone who’s doing
skills. For students focused on the “outcome” of college, a liberal that job. As a student starts thinking about
arts school with such expanded programming can offer the best what careers they may be interested in,
talking to trusted adults with knowledge of
of both worlds. “A set of technical skills can double the number
those careers is a great way to start thinking
of jobs for which a typical liberal arts major is qualified”, said about a potential college major as well as
Matthew Sigelman, chief executive of Burning Glass, a Boston- future career possibilities.
based labor market analytics firm. “Those skills can also add
If your student thinks talking to adults about
about $6,000 to average salaries.’” their careers sounds a little scary, remind
them that most adults love talking about
their careers and how they got where they
are. And most adults are also very happy to
help students with their career exploration
process. Think of informational interviewing
as just one part of the research into your
student’s future career.

How can your student find people to

interview in the jobs they’re interested in?
Parents, teachers, coaches, and counselors
will probably be the most helpful in making
introductions to people they know in a
variety of careers. Once your student has
made an introduction, they can set up a
phone or Skype call, schedule a meeting, or
just ask questions by email. It’s important
to know that your student will generally get
much better information and build a stronger
relationship if they talk directly to the person
rather than just through email. Students can
expect to spend about 15-20 minutes for
www.wsj.com/articles/where-college-seniors-are-falling-short-1493118000
each interview.

Recent grads can expect another robust year of hiring

opportunities, but another WSJ.com article reveals that today’s
grads don’t have the skills that companies are looking for.

COLLEGEMATCHPOINT.COM 6
So at the same time that colleges are shifting to address the needs
of applicants, students might want to consider shifting some of
their college major plans to make themselves more marketable to
those doing the hiring. We don’t encourage anyone choosing a
major or field of study just because it tops a list of growing jobs
(not everyone wants to be an engineer!), but taking note of the
trends in hiring (including the skills employers find most lacking
in applicants) can be useful as students explore options and identify
individual passions and interests.

OPTIONS FOR STUDENTS

STILL EXPLORING
For students who are still debating between similar majors, we advise
they choose the one most exciting to them when they apply — and
which one matches their background the best.

Students with many related interests may find that interdisciplinary

majors provide the best option. In addition, many undergraduates
will customize their degrees to become interdisciplinary, or at least
multidisciplinary, by adding a minor or certificate in another
area that supports their career goals. For example, a student
majoring in Dance may have an ultimate goal of opening his own
teaching studio one day, so he will decide to add a certificate in
Business Foundations.

For students who can’t make up their minds, many colleges offer
options. The most common option is undecided or undeclared
major. These programs typically allow the student to take a wide
variety of courses as they explore potential majors. Many colleges
offer supplemental advising for undecided/undeclared students.
The restrictions on undecided or undeclared majors will vary from
college to college, so it’s important to discuss the limitations of
undecided/undeclared with any college your student is considering.
For example, if a major is very popular (Engineering, Business,
Nursing) it may be more difficult (or impossible) to get that major
later in a student’s academic career. When in doubt, talk to the
college prior to making the undeclared/undecided choice.

FIRST CHOICE MAJORS

Large flagships like the University of Texas at Austin, as well as
smaller institutions, require students to apply directly to certain

COLLEGEMATCHPOINT.COM 7
schools or colleges. Most international schools require students to
declare their majors upon application as well.

Because of this, it can be tempting to try to “game the system.” Some

students, in an effort to get accepted, may change their declared major
on their application to something less competitive. This may get
the student into the college, but it could also backfire. If a student’s
intended college major is engineering, they probably have experience
in the field, through classes, work, or volunteer programs. If they
indicate education instead of engineering on their application, they
may not be accepted based on a lack of accomplishments in the field.
They will also have a harder time writing a compelling application
essay that addresses why they want to major in that particular subject.
The result: a less competitive application.

And even if the student is accepted into that less competitive major,
they might run into an issue where they can’t switch to their originally
intended major. Some schools have a limited number of spots per
department, which may be full by the time the student is able
to change tracks. At many schools, attempting internal transfer to
impacted or competitive majors is extremely difficult.

COLLEGEMATCHPOINT.COM 8
HOW MAJOR CHOICE AFFECTS
HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
After all the research, all the self-reflecting, all the informational
interviews, all the job shadowing — a student’s choice of major will
play a critical role in their high school life. Here are the three ways their
intended major will affect your student while they’re in high school.

1 GUIDE A STUDENT’S ACTIVITY PLAN

Students should lean in to their intended major with their activity plan.
This will likely happen naturally, since major choice will align with
their interests. But students can go out of their way to show initiative
in activities that relate to their intended major. Demonstrating
initiative usually involves starting with an idea, then taking steps to
make it a reality. Traditionally, when it comes to initiative, we think
of things like founding a club or starting a new school program — but
taking a formal leadership role associated with your school isn’t the
only way to show initiative. The key is to turn ideas into actions,
no matter the context. Anything from organizing a study group to
coaching a sport they love will fall under the umbrella of initiative.

The trick is for students to follow their aptitudes; explore what

they’re interested in; capitalize on what they can already do well.
Of course, they also need to be willing to pay their dues. Before
they can be the newspaper’s editor-in-chief, they’ll have to do sig-
nificant work as a reporter. As a sophomore, they still have plenty CONNECTING
of time to do that hard work before taking on leadership roles in YOUR RESUME
junior or senior year. AND YOUR MAJOR
2 HELP DETERMINE A COLLEGE LIST Your student shouldn’t join a club or team
unless it genuinely interests them — even
If your student already knows what they want to study, they should if they think it will help them be a better
candidate for their intended major. If they
be sure the colleges on their list offer that major, and also be sure
do it for the resume points, they might get
to research those specific programs at each school. If your student bored and make only a feeble contribution to
is still relatively undecided — and that’s okay! — they should some the organization, which a waste of time for
time to be sure the colleges on their list have a wide enough variety everyone involved. Plus, college admissions
committees can usually spot a padded
of offerings that they’re not pigeonholed into a major they don’t love.
resume. Instead of a laundry list of activities,
they’d rather see meaningful and sustained
KEY INPUT IN COLLEGE ESSAYS
3 AND APPLICATION
participation in a few areas. Long-term
involvement and responsibility in one or two
organizations will strengthen the application,
A student’s first-choice major becomes one lens through which a whereas being an onlooker in ten groups may
file reviewer evaluates an application. Demonstrated academic fit not help as much.
for major can be an important aspect of application review. The

COLLEGEMATCHPOINT.COM 9
more the student learns about their potential major, the better
they’ll be able to communicate their interest on their application in
a convincing way.

In addition to their activity plan, students interested in competitive

majors should take the most rigorous courses that fit their schedule
in high school — and do well in them. They also need to be able
to communicate that they understand what it actually means to
study the field they’re interested in. To get that deep understanding,
students can talk with adults in the field, ask about the major on
college visits, or seek a teacher as a mentor. The more they learn
about the major, the better they’ll be able to communicate their
interest on their application in a convincing way.

CONCLUSION
It’s easy to brush off the college major as something a student only
has to consider during college. But your student’s major choice will
affect the before and after, too: their high school years, the college
application journey, and their post-college career. That’s why it’s
important to give the major exploration and decision process the
attention it deserves.

COLLEGEMATCHPOINT.COM 10
 The team at College MatchPoint has developed a set of tools and
resources to help students and families successfully navigate the
college admissions process. We are committed to helping all students
thrive in their selected college, and the first step is reducing the stress
of the admissions process for students and parents alike.

With that in mind, we’ve used our team’s expertise—developed over years
of working with students, parents, and college admissions officers—to
create a library of free resources that you can use as you navigate the
college journey.

WWW.COLLEG E M ATC H POI N T.COM

FREE RESOURCES

Guide to Engagement In High Guide To Demonstrated Interest

School: The i4 Framework Demonstrated interest is the degree to which
The most successful college applicants have you show a college that you are sincerely inter-
engaged in activities that are based on their ested in attending their school. It has become
interests, aptitudes, and motivations. This an important, subtle tool that colleges use to
guide presents our i4 framework and walks you efficiently and accurately enroll a specific target
through how your student can optimize their number of students each year. This guide offers
interest, involvement, initiative, and impact to tips on showing demonstrated interest no matter
successfully engage during high school and your personality type, and we provide some
develop into a strong college applicant. examples of emails and conversation starters
to use with admissions representatives.
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Guide To Highly Selective Colleges Guide to Informational Interviews

Applying to a highly selective college can be This worksheet will help your student prepare
daunting, but if your student has their heart for their informational interviews. It offers space
set on one, there are some guidelines they can to jot down potential questions and provides
follow to help them stand out from the crowd. structure for taking notes during the interviews
This guide discusses what highly selective and following up after.
colleges look for in students, how to achieve
DOWNLOAD THIS GUIDE
“depth” in activities, and the importance of
having a specific application strategy for the
most selective schools.
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Guide To Campus Tours Guide to Summer Planning

Touring colleges can be a great way to get a feel For many of today’s college-bound high school
for what a specific school is like, but because students, the summer is no longer nine weeks of
these visits are brief, it’s crucial to go into them total relaxation, but rather an opportunity to spend
prepared. In this guide, we provide a college time actively working, learning new skills, or diving
tour checklist, a list of not-to-be-missed campus deeper into an area (or areas) of interest. This
destinations, and tips for making the most of complete guide to summer planning walks you
your college visits. With this guide in hand, you through the various types of summer oppor-
can focus on taking advantage of this special tunities — from volunteer work to independent
time together with your student. projects, and everything in between — and offers
tips for how your student can take their involvement
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up a notch during the summer.
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