While building a list of colleges to which they will apply, each student will have unique search parameters. Some students are determined to stay in their home state; others are determined to study in a foreign country. Some prefer a small, enclosed, campus, while others are seeking a university with no campus at all. However, the starting point for any deep dive into a school should be its academics. That’s what you’re going there for, after all – to study!

On the college application, there will be a question asked by each school: What is your major of interest? For some students, the answer will be straightforward and simple. They’re set to inherit a family business, and so Business Administration it is! Or, they have volunteered with their local historical society over the past four years – clearly, they’ll go for a degree in American History. But, what about students who aren’t sure? First-generation students often find themselves in this particular dilemma. Without any background knowledge in what options are even out there, how can they choose? What even is a major anyway?

Degrees

A four-year college can offer three types of Bachelor’s Degrees: a Bachelor of the Arts (BA), a Bachelor of Science (BS), and/or a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA).

The BA degree usually encompasses the humanities, soft sciences, language studies, and education.

The BS degree usually encompasses the hard sciences, business, and medicine.

The BFA degree encompasses the performing, visual, and audio arts.

There is some overlap between the different degrees, and some schools will offer both a BA and a BS within the same major. The difference will be in the course requirements.

Majors

A college major is the field of study a student pursues throughout their college education. You can think of it like a sub-category. Each major will have its own course requirements. A university’s website will have an academics page that lists its available majors, and then a page for each major that lists the requirements for graduation. While many schools offer the same majors, the course requirements will differ from school to school.

Some popular majors include:

• Architecture
• Biology
• Business Administration
• Computer Science
• Digital Communications
• Early Childhood Education
• Electrical Engineering
• Entrepreneurship
• English Literature
• Finance
• History
• Psychology
• Social Work

Some more niche majors include:

• Animation
• Archaeology
• Classical Studies
• Comparative Literature
• Dance
• East Asian Studies
• Game Design
• Nutrition Sciences
• Philosophy

Some general studies majors include:

• Humanities
• Interdisciplinary Studies
• Liberal Arts

General studies majors often pursue a variety of coursework from across the university. If a student is looking for flexibility, or knows they intend to attend graduate school, this can often be a good choice. However, a general studies major is not specialized, and therefore less career-oriented. This can be a drawback or a benefit, depending on the student’s post-graduation goals.

The Undecided Major

Often, a school will allow a student to apply as “Undecided.” This means they will select their major by a certain deadline after beginning their studies, typically by spring semester of sophomore year. This can be a good choice for students who are between two very different majors, but wants more experience in the coursework before making a decision. However, it can be a very poor choice for a student who is aiming for a career within a certain field (e.g. medicine), as general studies courses may not count toward the student’s selected major in the end.

In addition, many schools’ more selective majors (e.g. Computer Science) will require students to apply for entrance into the major, which is never guaranteed and can often be very long odds.

If you do know which major you’d like to pursue, it is always a good idea to see if there is data on the admissions rates for that particular program. It can be very different than the school’s overall admit rate.

How to Select a Major

How do you decide which major to pursue? Research, research, research. Some questions you can ask while looking into each program are:

• What are graduates of this program doing now? Are they employed, and if so, what industry? Are they in graduate school?
• What careers do people with this degree typically pursue?
• What is the average salary of someone with this degree? With these types of jobs?
• How does that salary compare to cost of attendance?
• What are the course requirements for this major? Read through some course descriptions.
• Are there opportunities to double-major, or minor?
• What is the faculty in this department like?
• What are the admissions rates of this major?
• Does this topic thoroughly interest me?
• Can I see myself succeeding with the supports offered?
• What is this department’s extracurricular offerings?

Take your time. Use your summer between junior and senior year to really get to know each school and its offerings. Take notes. Talk to your parents, teachers, and other adults in your life about your interests; ask them if they have any ideas on career paths. The answers may surprise you! If you are visiting campuses, try to attend a department-specific information session.

At the end of the day, what you need to do is make a well-informed decision. The better informed you are, the less decision paralysis you’ll feel.

Need help?

Aristotle Circle is here to help. Our comprehensive College Admissions Counseling package offers unlimited one-to-one counseling, including guidance, research assistance, and more. Let us do the heavy lifting. Call today (212-360-2301) for a free consultation, or email us at info@aristotlecircle.com to learn more.

Never miss a beat: