Choosing a College Major

[golfgal]

What I meant about my other post is that colleges know that students often change their major. There really isn't a benefit of declaring a major right away. Freshman year is full of general ed courses anyway that it won't really matter. I know when I was in college the only major that really needed to be on an exact schedule right away was nursing but even then there was some leeway freshman year. Schools don't really look at your declared major when you apply because they KNOW they will be changed at least once. I think you are worrying over nothing is what I am saying. If he wants to put something down, fine, if not, undeclared is perfectly fine.

 

[BeNJeNWaFFLe]

My advice would be to start off in the engineering track; if he decides to switch, it's a heck of a lot easier to switch OUT than to switch IN and be immediately behind in terms of coursework.

I will agree on that!

I think your son needs to look at the courses offered for engineering students before he decides. Some colleges start off only with general courses. Some start you off with core courses the second you start. I am a computer science major and I went to an engineering college. You started out your freshman year jumping right into your core classes. Yes you took some general education classes, but you also took your first computer science course (or whatever major you were) and your math course. If you changed majors, you easily added on another year of classes.

I chose my school because it is highly respected in the engineering field. The courses were what I wanted and they teach you all the information you need. (I have friends who took the same major at a local college and they were taking classes in their junior year that I already did in my freshman year.) Also every incoming freshmen was given a laptop. You used your laptop in your classes and for homework. It gave you a hands on approach to everything.

Putting down undecided isn't going to ruin your sons life. He isn't going to be cast off. A lot of incoming freshmen are "undecided." I just think he needs to see how the college offers freshman courses. Because missing out on those core courses could put him a year behind.

Please let your son know that CS majors aren't stuck at a cubical all day long. Of course I have a cubical and I do work at it. Some days I am at my desk all day long. But most days I am all over the building. Sometimes in meetings, sometimes doing work. A computer science major can go into many different fields of work. I have friends in the gaming field. I have friends in the testing field. I have friends who create websites. I, myself, am in the defense field. There are many different roads you can take, it just all depends on what you want to do. Good luck to him!

 

[rgf207]

It seems like your son is exactly like I was. I was interested in Physical Therapy and Computers at that time but I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to do. I decide to go in undecided. For the first 4 semesters I took most of my General Education classes. I did this because the Gen Eds will be required for both majors. If you chose a major and took a lot of classes in that area but then decided that you didn't like it, most of those classes would not count towards your other choice and they would have been wasted credits.

i ended up choosing computer science and I am so happy I did. I love my job. I travel all over the world doing high end network installations. Comp Sci jobs are so broad that you can bacically do anything you want with it. If you would like more information about Comp Sci. Please let me know I would be more than happy to provide any help I can.

You son by all means DOES NOT need to choose a major yet. He has until his 4th semester (for most universities) to make a decision. Take a majority of General Education courses so they will work for whichever major he chooses. Please let me know if you have any addional questions. I graduated in 2002 with a bachelors in Comp Sci.

 

[minkydog]

My advice is have him take CORE core in areas that he is interested in. For example, he can take a higher math just in case he wants to do engineering - I think all universities require a math anyway. Also, universities require a science or two with a lab - have him take a biology class b/c that will likely be required for any PT program. His first year can be moderately flexible based on general education requirements of his school.

My advice comes from being someone who started as music education, switched to special education, and ended up majoring in Psychology and still graduated in 4 years. THEN I took a year off, and did leveling coursework in Speech Pathology/Audiology with the intention of doing speech path., but have just recently begun my doctoral work in audiology.

SO, unless he feels he HAS to choose and never switch, allow him the freedom to change. I think that the best choice would be to choose a mojor, but one that is moderately flexible and would allow him to take classes in which he's interested outside his major so that, should he change his mind, he isn't way behind.

This is such good advice. It's perfectly normal for college students to not know what they want to be when they grow up. I knew I loved science, but I had no idea how to apply that. I came from a small town and going away to college what really eye-opening. It took about a year for me to figure out what I was really interested in--all things biological. I ended up in nursing, which I love. My mom couldn't believe it! My dad was furious! Cathy, a nurse?? Yep, and once I focused on nursing I became completely one-minded about my education. It was all a matter of figuring it out.

 

[vettechick99]

I changed my major several times and I was one of those who was quite sure at 17 I wanted to be a Zoologist. Until I took Zoology and got a D. Barely.

I also don't think it's necessary to start off with a major. Have him pick a good school and enjoy the core classes and see where it leads him. It wasn't until I took Intro to Psych that I knew it was for me - never a degree I would have picked for myself.

Plus, later if he chooses a specialized degree, he can always change school after two years.

 

[tar heel]

bearvet -- Your son's interests sound a lot like my DS's. He had extremely high math scores/grades and had always been told he should do engineering. He did two and a half years of engineering at NC State and really disliked it before switching to what he really wanted to do all along, computer science. He'll graduate in May with a computer science degree and a bunch of engineering electives.

I really wanted him to go to Chapel Hill (my and DH's alma mater) b/c I think the general college classes, which EVERYONE takes, make for a broader education. He's had a good education at State, but it has been very narrow. For example, he was not required to take a freshman English class b/c of his SAT score. He took his first English class as a junior! I don't think you should be able to place out of English your freshman year since there are plenty of upper level classes. We spent a good bit of time looking at UNC's applied science program, which is mostly math/physics, but I never talked him into going to Carolina.

At NC State, the engineering school is more difficult to get into as a freshman than general college. Students take some engineering classes their first semester, but they donn't officially matriculate into the school until they've met a series of requirements, including classes and GPA.