By Joan C. Britt

With the cost of attendance outpacing the inflation rate, the affordability of college is paramount on parents’ minds. Rather than using terms such as “exploration” and “finding yourself” to describe the college years, “return on investment” crops up when anticipating college choice. Further, given unemployment rates and job prospects for undergraduates, the college major has become even more of a hot button issue. Rightly or wrongly, “What are you going to do with that degree?” rolls off the tongue of well-intentioned adults. Yet, there is much to consider when investigating schools and potential majors, especially given the number of two- and four-year colleges and the vast expanse of majors available to today’s students.

Dollars and Cents

According to the U.S. Department of Education’s Beginning Post-Secondary Survey, only 63 percent of students who begin at a four-year college on a full-time basis will earn a bachelor’s degree within six years. Included in this statistic are students who take time off from school, but also students who change majors and cannot meet graduation requirements in four years. Most, if not all, families anticipate four years of college cost for a BA, so indecision about a major can be costly, especially the later a change is made.

Yet, choosing a college for a particular course of study can be costly, too. Students sometimes start their chosen field of study only to find that they really don’t like it. If their college decision was based solely on that program, they might find themselves in a position of having to transfer to another school or wait to be admitted into another program within their current college. Depending on transferability of credits, there could be an additional semester or year of college required.

The Intangible

Many students have a strong sense of what they’d like to study in college, and this can stand them well if their interests continue. However, plenty of students truly have no idea, and this can be a good thing. Up until college, students have been told what to take in school, with the exception of a few electives. College opens up to them a plethora of choices. While it might seem like a very costly journey to discover an academic passion, the investment in this time can have a big return. I’ve witnessed the excitement in students after they’ve looked at course catalogs, and the disappointment when they realize they won’t be able to take everything they’ve highlighted! The empowerment of exploring and choosing classes among a variety of subjects is invaluable in a student’s personal development. Plus, they are much more likely to be engaged in courses they have selected themselves.

Why It’s OK to be Undecided

Based on the myriad of college tours I’ve experienced, both as a professional and parent, the one question from tour guides that makes many high school students cringe is “What’s your intended major?” The response “undecided” is often muttered sheepishly. The perceived pressure to have identified a major as a junior in high school can be overwhelming. The “undecideds” feel like there is something wrong with them because they haven’t found a chosen field. Then along come the applications and the fill-in-the-blank Intended Area of Study. How many 17-year olds, who have taken core classes all their lives, can knowledgably answer that question?

Here are some reasons why “undecided” is OK:

• All too often, students default to what their parents chose as majors and/or career paths and ignore what is interesting and exciting to them. Also, societal pressures to “be” something, such as a lawyer, doctor or accountant, can squelch creativity and independence for those whose interests lie elsewhere.
• Students and parents often have no idea of the depth and breadth of what colleges offer these days. Here are some examples of majors that didn’t exist when parents went to college: Syracuse University’s Jewelry and Metalsmithing or Stage Management; University of Maryland’s Turf and Golf Course Management, Urban Forestry, or Soil & Watershed Science; Champlain College’s Management of Creative Media or Computer & Digital Forensics.
• With the pressures of high school – SAT, ACT, Subject Tests, AP classes and exams, searching for and applying to colleges – in addition to extracurriculars, community service, and a part-time job, students typically don’t have time to think about majors.
• High school students are just becoming aware of who they are beyond their own little world. According to Joe Cuseo, Ph.D. and Professor Emeritus at Marymount College, (“Decided”, “Undecided,” and “In Transition”: Implications for Academic Advisement, Career Counseling, & Student Retention)) this self-discovery is essential to personal development during the formative years of college. He cites that “Between 50-75% of all students who enter college with a declared major change their mind at least once before they graduate…. Among first-year students who enter college with a major in mind, less than 10 percent feel they know ‘a great deal about their intended major.’”
• The bounty of choices for areas of study can be overwhelming, and students often just aren’t ready to commit.
• With the multitude of career changes these students can anticipate during their lifetime, their college major won’t lock them into a specific career for life.

But Don’t be Undecided Too Long…

While many large universities require students to apply to a college or school within the university umbrella as freshmen, most smaller schools don’t require declaration of the major until the end of sophomore year. Students do need to be mindful of requirements of various majors and how those may limit their flexibility. For instance, engineering majors often find it difficult to study abroad, even for a semester. Fortunately, there are abroad experiences available for shorter time periods that can be an option. Many majors require an internship, so students will want to have enough time to accomplish this.

Pre-professional Programs vs. Liberal Arts

I’m often asked if getting a Liberal Arts degree is worth the price. With a rapidly changing economy, the need for critical thinking skills is paramount. Students don’t need a vocational major, such as accounting or finance, to get those skills. The critical reading and writing skills required in the humanities are developed and honed throughout the undergraduate years. Moreover, many medical schools like to see applicants with non-science majors, as they bring a different and well-rounded perspective to their medical school experience.

That being said, a student’s choice of major can have an impact on earnings. According to a press release published by Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce regarding its new report, What’s It Worth? The Economic Value of College Majors, “Getting a degree matters, but what you take matters more.” The top 10 majors with the highest median earnings are in Engineering and Math/Computer Science, while the ten with the lowest include Counseling/Psychology, Early Childhood Education, Human Services and Community Organizations, Social Work, Visual and Performing Arts, Theology and Religious Vocations, and Health and Medical Preparatory Programs. “Liberal Arts and Humanities majors generally fare well in the workforce, ending up in professional, white-collar, and education occupations.”

For students who are contemplating a pre-professional program, but aren’t sure about committing freshman year, there are options. For instance, many schools offer 3-2 programs in the Liberal Arts and Engineering. Students attend a Liberal Arts school for the first three years, and then transfer to another school for two years to get a degree in Engineering.

So, how can parents and post-secondary institutions help?

1. Encourage students to explore careers, both in high school and when they get to college. Job shadowing, talking to relatives and friends’ parents about their careers, and visiting websites such as www.bls.gov, (the Occupational Outlook Handbook) are good places to start.
2. Reassure them that being undecided is normal, and even though it might appear that everyone else has it figured out, they don’t.
3. Encourage students to take advantage of their college advisors, career counseling centers and alumni network.
4. Be patient as your student explores. It can be challenging to sit back when he tells you about his Balinese Gamelan Ensemble, or his Ukranian Poetry class, but these are not Basket Weaving 101. These experiences expose your student to other cultures and give him a chance to do something he might not be able to once he’s in the working world.

So, can your student afford to be undecided?  My answer is a resounding “Yes!”

Joan C. Britt is an independent college admission counselor in South Burlington. She can be reached at College Fit for U, LLC, 802-863-9176, collegefitforu@gmail.com or www.collegefitforu.com