How To Choose A Major: Listen to Your Heart

Jared Hobson — Mon, 27 Sep 2010 14:41:03 +0000

I always enjoy hearing from students I’ve advised, even long after the regular contact has ended. Thanks to LinkedIn and other social networking sites, it’s easier to stay connected.

I recently received a nice email from a student named Mark Phan through LinkedIn. He and I had chatted about his educational plans over several months, and I followed his progress as he made difficult decisions. Then, as he started to implement his plan, we fell out of touch. I’m happy to say that we’re back in contact.

Despite some twists and turns, Mark has landed on his feet. I asked if he would share his experiences with my readers, and he enthusiastically agreed–in part because he had learned a few things along his path that he knew be helpful for others. So here is Mark’s story in his own words.

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I remember planning for college ever since I was a little kid. Everyone always called me an overachiever because I worked hard in school. My freshman year of high school, I started to realize that I needed to figure out what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. My parents always wanted me to be in the medical field. They wanted to me to become a radiologist. I’ve always been into computers and design, so the medical field didn’t really interest me.
As I progressed through high school, my parents basically engrained in my brain that I should be a radiologist, so I told myself that was what I was going to do. If that made my parents happy, then I guess I will go for it. I began taking many math and science classes to prepare me for college throughout high school, which I did not enjoy!
It was around Junior year where I had to start researching colleges and figure out where I wanted to go. Taking college visits was pretty exciting, but at the same time very scary! This was a big decision. It wasn’t until the summer of my Junior year I began panicking about the college process. How do I pay for college? Am I choosing the right major? Should I go to community college? So many questions were running through my mind and my parents were stressing me out even more!
This was when I consulted Mark about my issues! He was very helpful in helping me pick out colleges that fit my criteria. Basically, helped with everything relating to college! Giving tips and advice about applications, financial aid and scholarships, and more. It was very nice to talk to someone who knows everything about the college process! Being the first person in my family going to college, I didn’t know much. I was overwhelmed and didn’t know where to start, and Mark helped get me on track! I remember asking him about my uncertainty about my major. He was very encouraging and gave me great advice! After filling out one of the questionnaires he gave me, I actually realized becoming a radiologist is not what I want to do at all.
Although, I realized that becoming a radiologist wasn’t what I wanted to do, I decided to pursue it anyways. After consulting with Mark, I decided to attend community college first to save money. I wanted to double major in Radiological Sciences and Multimedia, two completely different areas. I was accepted to a competitive radiography program at my community college when I graduated high school so I pursued that opportunity. I was doing fine in my classes, but when we started clinicals in the hospital I realized this was not what I wanted to do at all. I was not happy and the thought of majoring in multimedia was always in the back on my mind.
I finished the fall semester and withdrew from the program. When spring semester started, I changed my major to multimedia and loved what I was doing. It was much better doing something I loved, not something my parents wanted me to do.
Surprisingly I finished my general education requirements in one year of community college despite the change of major. I took dual credit classes in high school as well as college summer courses. I also took several CLEP tests that gave me credit for a couple general education classes. Luckily, I wasn’t too far behind because I had transferable college credits under my belt! The following semester I transferred to a four-year college. I am currently a Junior at Bradley University studying Interactive Media with a concentration in Animation and Special Effects.
Moral of the story: Do what you want to do! Listen to your heart and forget what everyone tells you to do!

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I’d like to amplify a couple of things in Mark’s story.
First, community college can make a great deal of sense for even the smartest, most motivated kids. Mark not only saved money, but he reduced the time to his degree by a full year.
Second, kids are buffeted by all sorts of expectations. The transition to adulthood is not only about moving from one educational institution to another. It’s about learning to decide things for yourself, to recast your relationship with parents, and to have the confidence to allow yourself to follow your own internal compass.
Third, things usually work out. I’m sure that Mark’s parents worried mightily as he started down a path that made them as uncomfortable as Mark was happy. Our job as parents is not so much to define the path, but to equip our kids with the skills and the habits of mind (and heart!) that will enable them to carve out their own path.
Thanks for sharing your story, Mark!

Mark Montgomery
Educational Consultant

The post How To Choose A Major: Listen to Your Heart first appeared on Great College Advice.

Montgomery Guides Students Through Admissions Maze

Jared Hobson — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 06:35:04 +0000

Montgomery Guides Students, Parents Through College Admissions Maze
by Rosemary Fetter
The Villager Newspaper
9 October 2008, p. 26

Reprinted with permission.

For many high school students and their parents, selecting the right college can be very confusing and even anxiety producing. There are so many choices to be made: Public or private college? In-state or out of state? Conservative or liberal? And the tasks seem endless, from choosing the right high school courses, to registering and studying for tests, researching colleges, completing applications, writing essays, college visits and interviews.

Montgomery Educational Consulting helps to de-mystify the process, providing expert advice to students and their families as they navigate the college selection process.

“I do the same thing that a college counselor does, but on a much more personal level,” said Mark Montgomery.

The counselor in an average public high school serves more than 300 students, and the ratio is even higher in larger schools. Counselors have little time to provide the individual attention that is often needed.

“I work with students and their parents to develop a college plan based on the student’s abilities, needs, interests and aspirations,” he said. “I help guide them through the admissions process and develop a college plan and strategies for college visits. I show students how to write essays that stand out in a crowd, and, as a part of strategizing, I can also help with scholarship applications.”

A cum laude graduate of Dartmouth, Montgomery received his M.A. and Ph.D. from Tufts University, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, and his professional Teaching License and coursework in Educational Administration from the University of Northern Colorado. He has been an associate dean at the University of Denver, admissions counselor at Fort Lewis College, and external evaluator for teaching and learning programs at other universities, including Yale University and the University of Kansas.

“Since college is such a major investment, making the right choice at the beginning is important,” he said. “Colleges are becoming more and more selective. For example, last year, Harvard accepted only 7 percent of applicants, making this the most difficult year ever. Families are turning to people like me to get ahead of the game and help them understand how the admissions game works.”

In Holly Hills area,” Montgomery added, “about 25 percent of students go to a private four-year college. It’s important to find the right fit. A student came to see me recently, a liberal freethinker who was looking at a very conservative college. It worked in terms of SATs, but in terms of environment, he probably would have been miserable and transferred before long.”

Montgomery also points out that the popularity of a school does not affect the quality of education.

“Not all clients are Ivy League bound. I work with a variety of students, average kids and kids with disabilities. What’s important is to find the best fit,” he said.

Montgomery also does some pro bono work for Montbello and Adams City high schools and provides help for graduate school students and veterans from the war in Iraq.

“I generally work with two groups, those who start planning for college early and those who don’t much think about it until the last minute,” he said. “Of course, it’s always better to start early, even freshman or sophomore year, and plan your courses accordingly. But even for those who wait, there’s no need to panic. We can help.”

The post Montgomery Guides Students Through Admissions Maze first appeared on Great College Advice.

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How To Choose A Major: Listen to Your Heart

Montgomery Guides Students Through Admissions Maze