As mentioned in our first post in this series, this post will discuss how students at U.S. colleges and universities determine what they will study or what they will major in. Unlike international schools, choosing a major at a U.S. institution does not necessarily mean you have determined what you will do for the rest of your life. Sure colleges and universities have pre-professional programs in engineering, health care, business, etc., however most students studying in the U.S. do not actually pick a major until they are in their second or sometimes even third year of college-level work. Once in college, you will not only be exposed to academic disciplines you have not seen before, but you also may find that your “dream major” is not what you thought it would be. Therefore, when looking for schools, you should choose schools that not only offer your “first choice” academic program, but also have a variety of other majors you might be interested in, just in case you change your mind.
Reality is that most people will switch careers several times throughout their professional path, so choosing the perfect major right now is not all that important. Not only can someone’s career path be driven by changes in the economy, but it can also be driven by how the person changes and evolves over their lifetime. So what you study in college will not necessarily determine your life-long career path.
However, it is important to study what interests you in college. If you are not interested in what you are learning about everyday, you are not going to be a successful student. Educational consultants have tools to help you determine what your interest may be. However, most students applying to colleges and universities in the U.S. will state that they are “undecided” on their applications. Not only is this practice accepted in the U.S, in some cases it is encouraged. Having time to discovery who you are and what your path may be is part of the college experience.
We hope you have found this series on applying to colleges and universities in the U.S. helpful. Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions about the college search and selection processes.
Katherine Price
Educational Consultant
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