How did you choose your major/college?

[FllMtl Novelist]

So about a year from now, I'll be out of high school, and I'm expected to be enrolled in college. And I do want a degree. But the thing is, I don't have a major picked out for sure, much less a college.

College is a huge expense of both money and time, so I'd hate to wander in and hope I randomly, miraculously figure out the right thing. So I want to make an educated decision beforehand, but I don't know where to begin to look for information.

I figure I'll learn something if I ask around, and since CAA's full of nice, approachable people *coughandtheonlycollegestudentIknowirlismybrothercough*, I figured I'd start here. (I'm terribly selfish, I know. :l But maybe someone besides me will benefit, too.) So, college students past and present:

How did you choose your major?

and

How did you choose your college? (Keep in mind this is General, so you might not want to specify which you chose.)

[Furen]

Well, choosing a major is about what you're passionate about, and as many of us know, you love writing, so maybe English would be a good major for you.

[Atria35]

I ended up switching to English because the major I wanted (Bio) would have taken me more years and I would never have passed the Physics requirement. So! This was the easy decsion. And now I can listen to my entire family say what a good move this was and wonder why I was mesing around with something else. Apparently my reputation for being a prolific writer in my childhood means I'm way past when they expected me to be published >.>

As for my college? It was the only one that would accept the credits I had and accept me as late as I applied. I also had a friend who lived up here. .... And it was in-state.

[goldenspines]

The answers to both questions go hand in hand for me. The choice of my college depended on the idea for my major. But my major also depended on the college in the end. ^_^;
I had a general idea of what I wanted to major in (art), but spent some time researching different colleges' art programs, seeing which would be best and give me a general direction to go.

I was not entirely sure if I wanted to stick with art though, so I didn't choose a specialized art school (though I did research them, so that's always an options). But instead I chose a larger school with a variety of subjects and majors offered (so, I could try anything from computer science, to acting, to astronomy). Though, a plus I gained was that the college I chose did have my preferred major, Illustration.

I go to college in-state, since it's cheaper and more convenient for me. Some of the few reasons to go to college out of state would be if there's a college with a program you really want to get into, you get a large scholarship to an out of state school, or none of the schools in your state don't suit your fancy.

Also, if you do have a general department you want to major in (i.e. The English Department), you can email the heads of the department and see what kind of classes there are (you can see this in the course catalog, but sometimes, you can get more details by asking the department head).

The best idea is to visit a college(s) that you have in mind if you can and find out everything about it if possible (campus life, resources for students, etc.)

[Cognitive Gear]

As far as major goes- I chose to major in something that I actually have a passion for.

As for schools, I would really recommend that you look at your state's universities. If you must go to a private school, be sure that they are accredited. If the school is not accredited (if they are accredited, they will say so on their website), you may as well just go to a 2-year vocational school, and save yourself tens of thousands of dollars.

CollegeBoard has a very nice matchmaker that can help you narrow down what schools you would like to research. After you've used this, you can check the college's websites to see if their programs sound right for you.

[aliveinHim]

I've changed my major a bajillion times in my past 3 years of highschool. Don't chose a major because you think you'll make the most money off of it, do it because it's your passion so you're not stuck with something you hate. I'm planning on going to community college and then transfering to an in-state school because I want to live at home during my first 2 years and it's wayyyyyyyy cheaper.

[Atria35]

I've changed my major a bajillion times in my past 3 years of highschool. Don't chose a major because you think you'll make the most money off of it, do it because it's your passion so you're not stuck with something you hate. I'm planning on going to community college and then transfering to an in-state school because I want to live at home during my first 2 years and it's wayyyyyyyy cheaper.

Doing that was the biggest mistake of my life- I didn't check to see if my credits were transferrable, so when I wanted to get into my dream college, no dice. Also, tuition went from $16,000 a year to over $20,000, which made it unaffordable.

[Radical Dreamer]

When it comes to choosing your major, it's always best to go with what you love to do. If you're going to spend money on four years in an institution learning what to do with the rest of your life, it's best that you choose something you enjoy or have a passion for. So yeah, I'd say that if you like to write, English might be a good path for you to take in college.

As far as choosing a college goes, there are a lot of factors that go into that decision. Whether you want to live close to home, how much money you want to spend, whether or not a college has the degree you want, or has a good program with that degree, etc. In my case, it was just a matter of finding a school that had an illustration major and was only going to put me on the shallower end of the deepest level of student debt. XD Don't hesitate to visit as many schools as you need to--I visited at least three before I made my final decision, and that's a lot fewer than some of my friends visited. XD

Good luck in your search, though! College is a really fun and rewarding four years, so it's good to put a lot of research into choosing!

[Dante]

Whatever major it is - make sure it doesn't eat up your life. Take a major that grants you both an education you can use and that grants you the ability to enjoy college.

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Overall - I've yet to see if my education will prove worthwhile compared to if I simply started saving when I was younger (with reinvesting interest and having my parents add to this fund the normal amount I would place in a college education). Between the social isolation and long study hours, sleep deprivation and other pains associated with working hard in college - I determined that the amount of money I'd need to earn each year annually to be paid what I'm worth would amount to a small fortune.

Given the sky-rocketing cost of tuition today however, it seems clear to me that college grads are not getting what we truly deserve.

The average college graduate in 1999 made $45k a year, the cost of college tuition in 1999 was on average, $2k a year. Tuition has increased by 5x, which means the value of our degrees should have increased 5x. But for some reason, college graduates aren't raking in $125k a year (As HS grads still made 25k a year in 1999). Instead, we're making the same amount of money as we used to - which inflation-wise means we're making less then we used to while our degree is supposedly worth 5x as much.

The world loves to bicker and scream that we're "horribly greedy creatures", but lets face it. 5x the risk should equal 5x the reward, in fact, the increase in the risk should cause one to make more then 5x the reward. If a college education isn't worth this, then we need to change our way of thinking.

A) We need to either pay up and give college grads a massive annual salary for their massive investment (they'll need it to pay off the loans anyways).

B) We need to compensate graduates in another manner, say by giving them $45k a year but making them work 2 days a week.

C) We need to reduce the cost of college so that it's no longer as costly as it currently is. Perhaps by having companies subsidize the risk involved with making the investment by paying for the cost reduction.

D) Students should just make their educations less valuable by only doing 1/5th the work, say only coming to class once a week and only doing the top 20% of homework assignments that they like - and still coming out of college with a degree that pays the same. I like this option the best, as it allows students to work the part-time job they would need to pay off college and allows them ample social time for fun and friends.

E) Some combination of the above.

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But this idea would be abhorrent to cooperate America, who, despite claims that they deserve to be rewarded according to the risks that they take, somehow assume that the amount they pay their employees and the hours they make them work should be a constant - only stock values and CEO incomes should rise without bound (where a pay raise of 27% in a year isn't uncommon - if that happened with a college education over the last 12 years, we'd have an income of... 17x the original wage, or the typical college grad earning about $800k a year. When compared to things like this, our tiny $125k a year wage request seems cute.

And what has a CEO given that I haven't? I've worked for 12 hard years at college, given up my entire teenage life, friends, companionship. I studied so hard that I often times lost my emotions from the depression and will likely have to be on medication for the rest of my life to cope with the damage done in the name of the "pursuit of knowledge". I already realize that I will not be payed what I am worth - I do however, fully expect to gain my rewards through other means. I'm not a slave, nor am I running a charity for capitalist America - this is capitalism, I deserve to be rewarded for my effort.

But if I was just entering college now - and knew what I know now, I'd remember the phrase from Soviet Russia. They pretend to pay us, we pretend to work. Whenever a teacher handed me some G-d-awful long assignment, I'd ask what my life-time reward would be from doing it. I'd cut corners and I might only stop with a 2-year degree... earned from slacking just a tad over 4 years. I'd of spent a lot more time with friends and at the very least, I wouldn't be coming out of college with psychological damage. Don't believe the lies; when it comes to accounting, an appreciation of history, an understanding of Greek philosophy and the abilities that don't apply to your career are worthless. They may say their worth can't be judged by "mere money", but try sending some of that Greek philosophy to the IRS next year and tell them that it's value can't be measured in "mere money" and they will puke green vomit as their heads spin. Work hard at your work certainly, but make sure that your reward is worth the effort at every turn.

I'm not saying to fall in love with money either, nor that college doesn't provide some an incredible opportunity to learn things you always desired - but it sure would have been nice if I would have had a good 10 grand to toss at Japan during the Earthquake without blinking an eye, or buy a new friend in a hardship during the mortgage crisis a brand-new house every couple of years. Or maybe, it would just be nice to be financially independent and be able to live on a simple livable wage while enjoying friends instead of having to come out of an incredibly expensive difficult journey only to be looking down the road at a second, long, difficult journey (especially today where a good chunk of that next journey is simply paying for the damages done in the last journey). All successful animals throughout history have one commonality, they learned how to acquire the most resources for the least amount of work - and in that regard, despite how "smart" I was when measured by my education, I failed.

The point I'm trying to make is, education is awesome, as long as you grab some good teachers you should enjoy parts of it. But we're not paid nearly what we're worth and you need to take that into consideration when you're working and choosing classes. The hard road will not "pay" - well it will pay, but not proportionally to the cost and effort you'll have to put into it. So remember to enjoy college, don't make yourself a slave for nothing unless you think the rewards will actually be worth the investment. I took the hard road - so far it just seems like the only real dividends it pays is extra pain.

Salaries in 1999:
http://www.classesandcareers.com/education/2010/02/10/college-degree-and-average-salaries/

ASU Tuition Source for 2000-2001:
http://www.asu.edu/aad/catalogs/2000-2001/general/fees.html

[ClosetOtaku]

Major: I might have majored in Physics, but instead I got this silly idea that I wanted to go to Med School (sorry, Shooby), so I went the Biology route. In retrospect, a good decision, but not for the reasons I thought at the time.

College: My High School Counselor had this book -- called the Gourman Report -- and I took the book home for a week. I wrote up this little matrix (I'm not kidding) that gave weighted values to various things I was interested in studying (Physics, Astronomy, Biology), and I multiplied the factors by the ratings of each individual school in that discipline, and wound up with a listing of a number of schools: MIT, Columbia University, Cornell University, Lehigh University, and Carnegie-Mellon University, to name a few. I eventually decided on going to Carnegie-Mellon.

Why it did and didn't matter: I did wind up graduating with a BS in Molecular Biology, but I didn't go to Medical School. At Carnegie-Mellon, I fell in love with computers, and ended up taking a number of computer-related courses. I was in ROTC (one consequence of picking an expensive private school), so I was commissioned in the Medical Service Corps, and wound up working in medicine anyways. While in the military, I got two Masters' Degrees -- one in Information Technology (Webster University), one in Biomedical Engineering/Medical Informatics (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill).

Strange as it may seem, the Biology degree helped me in lots of ways, but I never saw the inside of a recombinant DNA lab again. It opened doors -- as did the IT and Informatics degrees -- but even now I'm moving in a different direction, and am applying to Systems Engineering PhD programs for entry this spring.

So, I guess my lesson is: don't worry about locking yourself into a particular field, very few degrees will do that. Be open-minded in your approach, and try a smattering of things that interest you, even if they don't immediately lead to a degree.

[Technomancer]

I think you do have to be practical in choosing your major, but some of that necessary practicality can still work itself out during the course of your degree. So you should take a clear and honest look at what you enjoy, what you're good at, and how you can take them further in terms of a viable career (so research what your perferred majors can lead to, and how to achieve it).

When I was in high school, my main interests were in science (especially astronomy and geology, and a heavy dose of computers). If I could have done anything, I would have liked to have done astrophysics or research-oriented geology. Circumstances at the time, and a realistic understanding of what was involved in terms of risk however, forced me to consider other options. In the end, the most interesting field to me, and the one with the most possibilties was electrical engineering. This allowed me to stay more science-oriented than computer science would have, as well keeping me in a field with opportunities that included both the practical and more research-oriented.

As for choosing my university, that was to some extent a fortunate accident. I didn't want to go to UofT, Waterloo wouldn't have me (a bit of good luck there, since Eng. there isn't really where it's at), and going to UBC would have been *way* too expensive. McMaster did have a fairly well-regarded engineering program though, so I opted for it. They had their own nuclear reactor, which was also pretty cool. The university also put on an "experience weekend" in May that brought in a number of interested high school students. This involved showing potential engineering freshman all the cool projects and research that was going on.

I found out later by the way, that according to one of the rankings, the engineering school came in within the top 10 in North America. Anyways, it all worked out though, since I ended up being able do a number of things there that I couldn't have done anywhere else. That was stuff though, well after I was already a student.

[Davidizer13]

When I started college, I was part of a program that allowed high school students to take college classes for high school credits as a junior or senior, as well as starting them on their major or getting an A.A. degree. Since the options I had for colleges were either community colleges or the local four-year college, the choice was pretty obvious. Once that program was over, I didn't transfer to some other college like some other people do, because I was already settled in my major and I was still a teenager at the time (and probably not mature enough to live on my own in a dorm). So my choice of college was more or less force-of-habit, but it was a good enough place that I didn't mind it.

As for major, at first, I was considering a geography major, since I've always liked that stuff, but my parents sort of talked me out of that; instead, I went into environmental science, which I've also always enjoyed. Where I'm from, you have to pick an area of emphasis within that major from biology, chemistry or geology (but the core curriculum includes classes from all those and more). At first, I was considering biology, but when I took a geology course as part of the core work, I was hooked, and even more so when I took more and found out it included many of the things I had been interested in for so long (like geography, in fact!).

So...yeah. I guess the point of that is that if you're looking for a good major, try to go off of what you've enjoyed in the past and see what options you have for those fields. You'll probably be pleasantly surprised about what you've got to work with!

[Agloval]

The university system in England is a bit different: degrees are cheaper here (though still a significant investment) and the standard model is a three-year, single-subject course -- most students-to-be have choose the one subject they'll dedicate their time at university to when they're seventeen-eighteen. For the last two years of what I think you would call high school, they only study three to six subjects, so most have already begun to narrow down their options. I don't know how helpful hearing about my experience of choosing a subject and university will be, but I'll fire away anyway.

By the time I was finishing school it was fairly clear that, of the three subjects I was still studying (English Lit, Latin and Philosophy), the one I found most exciting was English. Though I enjoyed the others, English was the one where I was displaying the most raw talent and the most motivation to go the extra mile in assignments. So I decided to study it at university. (Sidenote: traditionally -- this has changed in some places, but none I've had contact with -- in the UK English as an academic subject doesn't have much to do with teaching composition, rhetoric or creative writing.)

Of course, in some ways my decision was easier because none of the three subjects I was studying was likely to lead to a well-paid professional career in anything. Plenty of people have it tougher in situations where, for example, they have the grades to go into, say, the law, but have a passion for art history! I also owe a lot to my parents, who have a pretty clear-eyed view of the costs as well as the benefits of a degree, and were careful not to put pressure on me to make a particular choice, or even go to uni at all. I don't know much about the US university system, but for quite a lot of people in the UK university isn't all it's cracked up to be. I think Dante sort of has a point.

Anyway, once I'd decided that, I worked through all the English degree courses which my grades were good enough to get me into, looking closely at how they were organised. I preferred courses low on exams and high on coursework, and with more freedom of choice in module selection. Then I applied to six of them. I visited the five who offered me places, talked to people at each university about the way their course worked, and then chose the uni I eventually went to. As it turned out it was one I had originally chosen on a whim, knowing very little about it, when I was looking for a sixth institution to fill out my list. When I examined the way the course was organised and visited it, I liked it the best. I believe it turned out to be a very good choice (I graduated about a year ago).

So I suppose I'd say finding out about the details of courses you might take at each university, and if possible visiting them, are quite important. Technomancer's point that a university can have a mediocre reputation but some outstanding departments is a good one: my university isn't especially famous but in the last Research Assessment Exercise (not the be-all-and-end-all, but indicative) its English department was joint second in the country.

I think that you don't necessarily have to feel that something in particular is your vocation. Some people do feel that, and that's cool, but a lot of us meander through life less purposefully. I'd also note something similar on a spiritual level, in that while it's certainly worth praying about career choices, and sometimes folks are meant and called to do a specific thing in a specific place/time/organisation, at other times I believe it's not where you go that's the meat of the spiritual progress of your life, it's what you do when you get there. (I hope it's okay for me to say that; if it's a bit contentious for this part of the forum I apologise, and will happily remove it.)

[FllMtl Novelist]

Wow, thanks for all the replies, you guys. It's really helpful to see the different perspectives.

My library has a book of college majors. I'm going to check it out and go from there, I think. I've bookmarked the site Cognitive Gear posted well. ^^ Thanks again for all the information, guys! I'm very grateful.

[Yuki-Anne]

My story is kind of weird.

I wanted to go to New Mexico Tech and study explosive engineering, and I had enough scholarships to basically have a free ride. During April my senior year, my youth group took a trip to a high school conference Ozark Christian College.

I wasn't sure whether I wanted to go to NMT or OCC, so I spent the day praying and asking my youth group for advice. Finally, I just said to God, "Please, just tell me what you want. I need to know." That night, at the evening session, when the speaker gave the invitation, the first thing he said was, "Some of you may have full-ride scholarships to another university, but God is calling you here." Right then, I just knew those words were for me. It was one of those weird moments where you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God just spoke to you.

I had no major for the first two years, then between my sophomore and junior years, I flipped a coin. One side was psychology, the other was TESOL. The coin landed on TESOL, so I made my major psychology.

And now I'm doing TESOL anyway. But the psychology proved itself very useful when the earthquake happened and I had to deal with all the traumatic repercussions from that. I also find the counseling expertise I picked up invaluable in a variety of situations. So even though I disobeyed the almighty coin toss, I think it was a good choice.

[foreverHis888]

I am attending Calvary Chapel Bible College in Murrieta CA. They have these colleges all over the world, I am planning to attend the campus in Italy this coming spring.
The Lord really showed me that I needed to get out there and make my faith, and fear in Him my own, rather than my parents. He showed me that I needed to dig deep to see why I believe what I believe. It's such an amazing scool. It's like a little oasis!

[ich1990]

First, I think you should ask yourself a question, "why?". This will help put the whole "college degree" thing in perspective and help you narrow down choices.

You need to ask yourself "Why do I want to go to college?". This might seem self-evident, but many times the assumption that "you need to go to college" overrules any kind of common sense about the subject.

The answer to this question should help you narrow your choices considerably. For instance, if you want to go to college to socialize and have that "college experience" you can probably find a cheap state school that will let you do that and won't cost you very much for your four year social experiment. If you want to go to college to get your dream job, then you should probably narrow down your possible colleges/majors to just the ones that help you do that. Co-op schools like Drexel and Kettering, for instance, are extremely good at placing students in top tier jobs.

If, on the other hand, you want to go to college just to earn enough money to finance the hobbies you love, then maybe you shouldn't go to college at all, but instead go to a vocation school or learn a skilled trade. Plumbers, carpenters, machinists, and the like get paid college degree level wages with years less schooling (and the associated debt). If you want to go to college to learn more about your favorite subject (art seems to be a big one on this site), you might consider doing that without worrying about the degree. Nothing says you have to be a student of a university to wander the campus library or talk with the professors. Nothing says you have to get aim for a degree in order to take a few classes. You certainly don't need a degree to sell art, you just need good art to sell art.

To keep this from sounding too theoretical, I will tell you what my goal was. I wanted to go to college so that I could get mid-to-high paying, completely dependable job (read: government job) as quickly as possible in a subject that I could at least tolerate. From that I would have the ability to launch into whatever field or business I found interesting (I have constantly varying interests, so I didn't want to tie myself down). Further, I was adamant about wanting to graduate without debt.

This led me to consider a few specific types of schools. Ivy League schools had a great job placement record, but their costs were high. Looking back, I see that they often have extremely good financial aid packages, but I didn't know that at the time. Co-op schools would allow me to work for money at the same time as I built my job experience (increasing my employability) and earn my degree. I decided to go for that, and am pretty much on-track to meet all of my goals in that regard.

Lastly, be smart about it. Don't be like the lady I talked to just recently who had 80k in student loans (which you can't just bankrupt away, they follow you) and a degree in social work.The college degree isn't the magic bullet for unemployment like it used to be, and even when it is it can still be prohibitively expensive. Like it or not, a college degree isn't always a good investment. It all depends on what your life goals are.

[Hiryu]

College can be a risky move, but if you want to make more money, you'll need a degree. I have a few problems with college, but it usually ends up helping you. You've gotta be smart when dealing with college. People with High School degrees make less money than people who have college degrees, but I'm sure you were aware of that, right?

I found that most colleges, atleast around where I live, teach the same basic academics, so going to a community college would be a way to save money. You'll just have to be careful about what you take if you plan to transfer, because unfortunately, some classes won't transfer. The counselors and advisors at the college are there to help you solve that problem. Just take what will transfer and take what won't or what you need at the next college.

Choosing a major is something that you can struggle with. You'll need to choose something you like, because you'll be working with it for a looong time. Or until you become dissatisfied with it. I've gathered that you like writing, so getting a degree in that field would be just for you. However, it's best to always have a back-up plan. You should choose something that's guaranteed to give you money. Unless of course, you're quite confident in your writing abilities, like people say you're the next C.S. Lewis or J.K. Rowling.

Make sure you do all of your assignments and have them turned in on time too. College teachers don't check your homework for a homework grade(though they may go over it with you in class). The most assignments that were for a grade was about 10-15. When I was in high school, teachers gave out the grades like crazy. This presents a challenging concept that you have to consistently make a good grade on the test or you'll fail the class. Though some college professors vary, usually though that's how it is, atleast for me.

Getting to know your professors can be a bonus, especially if they're teaching what you're majoring in. Connections help. They can be a source for a letter of recommendation, if you're a student that has good manners. For example, not being late for class, and if you are, apologizing for interrupting.

If you need help/have a question, don't hesitate to ask them after class or schedule a small appointment with them. Thank them for helping you/taking time out of their schedule.

tl;dr - Don't be an idiot when it comes to college. Always plan ahead, make a back-up plan, and be nice to your professors.

[Technomancer]

Lastly, be smart about it. Don't be like the lady I talked to just recently who had 80k in student loans (which you can't just bankrupt away, they follow you) and a degree in social work.

Yeah, this is a big one in my experience. Right now my social circles are divided between academics (mostly from engineering and mathematics) and people living outside of the bubble so to speak. While the former are mostly doing well, quite a lot of the latter who took degrees in social science, religious studies, etc. are looking at unemployment and underemployment for the forseeable future. Saying "but I have a degree!", isn't going to do much for you when you're working telemarketing gigs or selling mattresses.

[PrincessZelda]

I say go for something you're passionate about, or at least something you're good at. If you still don't know for sure what that'd be, there are actually a LOT of students that don't figure out their major until their sophomore/junior year of college. Sometimes you just don't know for sure until you've tried a few things, and can know what you love and what you hate.

And definitely don't go for something you really don't like just because you think you can make good money doing it. You'll just end up miserable, and there's probably something you can do that you enjoy that'll still get you a fairly well paying job.

And, like you said, college is expensive, especially if you have no plan for what direction you're going in, and you end up taking longer. But maybe take that into account when you're looking for a school. Some schools offer a lot more scholarships and financial aid than other, or just plain cost less. If you're not sure what you're going to do at first, maybe go to a school that's not going to cost you as much (Whether it's cheaper or you can get more financial aid) at least until you decide your major.

I personally chose a really expensive school to go to XD;; But, I think it was the right choice for me because I knew for sure what I wanted to major in, and I felt that this school was the best in my area for what I wanted to study. It's also a very small college, so you get a lot of one on one help from professors and it has helped me learn and improve a lot. However, since it's a private college, it is very pricey, and I can't get as many scholarships and such, so if I wasn't 100% on what I wanted to major in, there's no way I would've gone there XD

[Sheenar]

Yeah, this is a big one in my experience. Right now my social circles are divided between academics (mostly from engineering and mathematics) and people living outside of the bubble so to speak. While the former are mostly doing well, quite a lot of the latter who took degrees in social science, religious studies, etc. are looking at unemployment and underemployment for the forseeable future. Saying "but I have a degree!", isn't going to do much for you when you're working telemarketing gigs or selling mattresses.

I have a bachelor of science degree and am still looking for work 2 years after graduating. I did substitute teach for a while, but it quickly got too overwhelming.

Now I'm a year and a half into a Master's of Science program. Already lots more debt than I had in my entire undergrad (I did not have to take many loans at all because of all the grants I received --only financial aid available at my university for grad students are loans.) I really hope this investment, time and hard work will be worth it. I am hoping I will be more marketable with a M.S. degree. Considering going on for a Ph.D, but will see how things pan out after I finish the Master's.

[Technomancer]

I have a bachelor of science degree and am still looking for work 2 years after graduating. I did substitute teach for a while, but it quickly got too overwhelming.

I remember how classes behaved towards subs. I'm sure it hasn't improved. These days TA'ing isn't much better according to at least one of my friends.

Now I'm a year and a half into a Master's of Science program. Already lots more debt than I had in my entire undergrad (I did not have to take many loans at all because of all the grants I received --only financial aid available at my university for grad students are loans.)

Yow! When I was a grad student (which wasn't all that long ago), you were paid. Typically you made about $15k-$20k after tuition as a Master's student, and around $25k as a Ph.D. If you got scholarships plus did some TAing, you could bring in more. Hardly great money, but at least you weren't accumulating debt, and could keep a roof over your head.

Considering going on for a Ph.D, but will see how things pan out after I finish the Master's.

Good luck! But, I will tell you this, only do the Ph.D. if you are enthusiastic about doing research. And I say this as someone who spent nearly 14 years at the university in one capacity or another. It will eat up 4-5 years of your life, you will work long hours for crap pay, and give you many black days and sleepless nights. The requirement that you produce work of "originality, novelty, and significance to the literature" is a damned sight harder than it sounds]very[/B] different when going from a Master's to a Ph.D.

All of that said, that kind of life can be fun, or at least intellectually stimulating, and living within the world of academia does have its rewards (albeit, largely intangible). You will get the change to meet fascinating and intelligent people from around the world. You will have the chance to attend events and interact on a level that would be impossible anywhere else. You will get the chance to be at the forefront of developing knowledge in your field.

Having been there and done that, I still have mixed feelings about it.

[Mr. SmartyPants]

Echoing what everyone said, do what you are passionate for! And try not to change your major once you declare it unless you are sure that you want to make the change (as it will add more time and money for you to spend).

This being said, always be open to realizing that you love something you first didn't enjoy. In High School I wanted to go into Computer Science. This quickly changed when I almost failed my Programming I class. It was then that I knew that I had no place in the computer science field.

For me I kind of blindly chose Psychology because I thought it was interesting. However I realized that I did love the subject, so I stuck with it.

You might not need to consider this now, but once you're in college try to think of what you'll do post-college. Consider the job market for what you want to go in. Or maybe you'll need to go to graduate school? I know for me, getting at least a Masters is required if I want to have any substantial career in Mental Health. I'm sure the same applies for things such as Business, Sciences, and (often times) Teaching. I was ready to start my M.A. in Theological Studies in the fall, but I had to postpone so I'll likely be focusing on starting up either a Masters in Social Work or a Masters in Professional Counseling something in the near future.

[F.M Disciple]

I'm currently attending a community college and planning to transfer to a four year university to earn a bachelors degree. Frankly I'm glad I chose this route.
For the most part the same basic education from the first two years of a university can be taught at a community college for a fraction of the price of a four-year university. Then you can transfer to a four year university to earn a bachelors or a masters degree if you see the need to.

As for my major, I originally wanted to be a animator, but after some soul searching and realizing that I hardly made any efforts into animation during high school so animation my not be the best route. So I was searching for a career that could meld my love for art and creativity with something that was a bit more stable and in more demand than an animator. As I was wondering the halls of my student services building I saw a flyer advertising the schools graphic arts department and web designer was listed. It was then that I realized that web design was a combination of art and utilizing software to create functional works of art. It also helped to know that the pay grade was slightly higher than an animator.

So after researching the occupation of a web designer and after a couple of semesters of web designing classes I realized that I had a shot at web designing.This all took place during my sophomore year of college. So later on I earned a certificate in web design and now am working on my A.A in multimedia art. to cut a really long story short, my advise to you is this... try attending a community college first, its a) much cheaper and b) if you don't know what to major in you won't be sucked dry trying to figure yourself out and c) you learn the same stuff that you'd learn during the first two years of university. Also do this as your figuring out what to major in just keep taking general education courses so once you figure out your major you can just jump right in.
Also Prayer helps alot.

Hope this story helps.

[Sheenar]

Yow! When I was a grad student (which wasn't all that long ago), you were paid. Typically you made about $15k-$20k after tuition as a Master's student, and around $25k as a Ph.D. If you got scholarships plus did some TAing, you could bring in more. Hardly great money, but at least you weren't accumulating debt, and could keep a roof over your head.

Yeah, the only grad students who get paid are ones who get hired as graduate assistants. The rest of us just have to deal with loans/scrounging for cash.

You will find yourself "overqualified" for many of the more run-of-the-mill jobs that you might have been considered for with "just" a Master's. .

That's why I'm going to wait and see if I can find work with my M.S. I'd like to teach at the college level (can do that with a M.S. as adjunct faculty), but my main thing would be advocating for people in rural communities/working with the AgriAbility project hopefully.

Though I am REALLY interested in the Rural Sociology Ph.D. program ...

[Technomancer]

Yeah, the only grad students who get paid are ones who get hired as graduate assistants. The rest of us just have to deal with loans/scrounging for cash.

Okay. That's a different system then what I'm used to. In engineering, as long as you were on the research track for your Master's, which pretty much everyone was, you got paid. Even the sociology students got paid something, although it was quite a lot less than what we made(they pretty much get the shaft to be honest).

That's why I'm going to wait and see if I can find work with my M.S. I'd like to teach at the college level (can do that with a M.S. as adjunct faculty), but my main thing would be advocating for people in rural communities/working with the AgriAbility project hopefully.

Though I am REALLY interested in the Rural Sociology Ph.D. program ...

A friend of mine in sociology is doing pretty much the same thing. She's hoping for an edge since she specialized in quantitative methods, which makes her a bit more employable than most. With hiring freezes pretty much across the board though, she's also planning a possible programme of research for her Ph.D.

[Mouse2010]

One thing to realize is that there are three kinds of majors (okay, more than three; this is heavily simplified). There are vocational majors which are designed to lead directly into a profession after graduation; there are liberal arts majors which do not lead directly into a profession; and there are pre-professional degrees which are designed to prepare you for further education.

An example of a vocational degree would be engineering or computer science. Hotel and restaurant management might be another good example: someone who earns a degree in that (yes, there ARE degrees in that! You won't find such programs at small liberal arts colleges, though) is probably going to go directly into the industry after graduation.

English, philosophy, and history are all examples of liberal arts degrees. There is no "English sector" into which one can go after one earns an English degree (education is a separate field, though many schools offer English Education degrees). If you choose a liberal arts major, you will need to be thinking long and hard about what you might do after graduating. There are lots of options, but your department might not really be helpful at pointing you to those options. There's a reason why there's a running joke about baristas with degrees in the humanities. (Disclaimer: I have a degree in the humanities, and I'm not a barista.)

Pre-professional programs include actual majors that lead to a B.S. or B.A. (like pre-medicine), but they also include programs that may simply prepare you for another program (pre-nursing and pre-veterinary med are often not degree programs, but courses of study that prepare you for the degree program). If you think you want to be a lawyer, doctor, etc., keep in mind that it's possible to combine your pre-professional program with another area of interest. You can study pre-law while also earning a degree in creative writing, for instance; or you could double-major in psychology or pre-medicine. Obviously, a double major is going to lead to a lot of coursework, but don't assume that will necessarily mean more years in college. It depends on how heavy of a course load you can reasonably carry.

So, as you think about a major, it might be helpful to think about what kind of major you want. Many people want a vocational degree that could immediately help them land a job. Other people want more of a liberal arts education, which is fine, but you have to accept that the career path may be a bit bumpier or less certain. And if you want to go into a profession that requires advanced education --medicine, law, veterinary med-- be aware that this will mean not just years of school, but lots of work outside of the classroom making yourself look good on paper. Be willing to shadow physicians, volunteer at the humane society, etc., in order to show that you have some awareness of and interest in your chosen field. Those kinds of preparations can begin in high school.

[rocklobster]

To be honest, I chose my college because it was very close to where I live. As for my major, I actually thought majoring in sociology and psychology would help me better understand people.

[Sapphire225]

I chose my college because initially it offered what I wanted and had a very beautiful campus and a pretty good history. Also, my mom is an alum from the school. And the scholarship was half the tuition, plus my mother's involvement with Johns Hopkins allowed me to access a grant.

My first major was Biology because I wanted to become a veterinarian, but I backed down upon realizing I would have to euthanize animals, which I really don't have the heart to do. I switched to International Relations and double minor in French and Japanese in order to either become a translator for the UN or some other organization, or become an Tesol.

[FllMtl Novelist]

Thanks again, guys. This thread's been really helpful to me. ^^