Colleges with good programs to help students choose a major?
My family recently went to an open house for new and prospective students at Oregon State University with our son, who's a high school junior. OSU has what sounds like an excellent program aimed at helping students decide what they want to major in. The core of it is a 2-credit course that includes self-assessments of various kinds, exploration of different majors, learning how to research careers, and a variety of guest speakers. They say that 90+% of students who go through the program declare a major within a term or two.
This struck me as a perfect program for my son, but for other reasons Oregon State didn't appeal much to him (though I loved it for the many opportunities undergrads have to participate in research with faculty members, and for the wide range of academic support available).
I'm hoping parents here who've been down this road before us will know about other colleges that have strong programs for helping students decide what to major in (or maybe feedback about the OSU program).
Thanks in advance.
Parent Replies
Hello,
I am a College Advising Specialist who taught in the English and University Studies departments at Sonoma State University for ten years. During my time at Sonoma State, I taught many first-year student courses designed to help them matriculate into college. What I noticed immediately was that over half of the students in my classes were undeclared, and I came to discover that being undeclared was actually a good place for most of them to be. When your son goes to college, he will have two years of general education courses that he must take, and during that time, he will notice what subject matter interests him. Many of the first-year students who had declared a major switched it once or even twice before graduating. College is a time of exploration and growth, so it isn't a surprise that they don't stay with a major that is chosen early on. Encouraging your son to form bonds with professors teaching classes that he finds interesting is a great way to help him navigate through the process of choosing a major. Also be certain to counsel him to meet often with his academic advisor so he's getting good support. Today, more than not, students are either double-majoring or declaring a minor so that they feel more well-rounded at the end of their undergraduate studies. Wishing you and your son all the best!