Parents ask us all the time about whether their child needs to select a major before applying to college. While some schools don’t mind – or even prefer – undeclared applicants, others strongly suggest that students apply with an intended major.
Although it is common for high school students to be unsure about what they wish to pursue in college, there can be advantages to putting something specific in the application.
When a student starts working with us early in high school, we have time to explore together: time to learn more about what matters to them, time to administer personality assessments and evaluate the student’s strengths, and time to explore specific schools and majors so we can help find the “best fit” colleges. We understand that many teenagers simply do not yet know themselves well enough to decide on a major. And that’s fine. Through our aptitude and interest assessments, we get to the heart of how their young brains work, then we look at the academic areas that might be best suited for their long-term goals.
One student we worked with, Selena, could not decide between several areas of study. She loved fashion design, advertising and architecture. There were so many different majors that might appeal to Selena. Seth, our team lead, and I discussed business, art, and liberal studies. We ended up recommending that Selena apply to NYU’s Gallatin School for Independent Study. This program would allow her to pursue all of her options in college, without sacrificing any of her interests. Selena didn’t have to decide on a major, because we helped her find the exact program that would help her develop her interests further.
Other schools such as Brown and the University of Rochester are not as concerned with an applicant’s declared major. Both offer an “open curriculum” and encourage students to explore their options in their first and second year of college before deciding.
On the other hand, majoring in subjects such as Business and Engineering requires some level of pre-college preparation and clarity. Let’s take a closer look.
Engineering – When students apply to Engineering programs, admissions officers want to be sure they can keep up with the department’s rigorous math and science curriculum. The evaluation process is more data-driven than the regular admissions evaluation, focusing much more closely on the student’s SAT or ACT scores. Engineering programs typically prefer students who have strong Math II and/or Science SAT Subject Test scores, and an A in high school calculus.
Business – Similarly, Business School applicants are held to a higher standard with test scores, especially in math. Admission officers like to see evidence of business experience, such as a part-time job, significant leadership in a school club, founding a non-profit organization, or developing and selling an app.
If you would like to discuss how we can help your child find a major (or two) that would be right for them (or the possibility of applying undeclared), click here set up a free phone consultation.
