For college-bound high school students, certain aspects of the application process are relatively straightforward — requesting transcripts, for instance, or filling in your personal information. Other aspects can be surprisingly tricky.
Take the major declaration. Should you list a potential concentration or remain undeclared? If you’re debating this question, one option is to seek advice from students who have been through the process.
[Learn more about applying to college.]
Three current college students recently shared via email how they approached the decision to either declare a major or remain undeclared when applying to college.
Reasons to Declare
Deciding whether to declare a major on a college application is a very personal decision — similar to choosing a college or university. There are are several common reasons for pursuing each option.
Emmanuel Abrifor, a junior at California State University–Los Angeles, opted to declare a major for a reason that may sound familiar to some high schoolers.
“I had an idea what I wanted to study in college while I was in elementary school. Yes, I declared a major when I filled out my college application not for any other reason but the fact that I knew what I wanted to do.”
[Discover the pros and cons of applying to college as an undecided major.]
In addition to an unshakable passion for a particular career or major, students may also decide to declare a major if they’re attempting to enter a special program like a 4+1 combined bachelor’s-master’s option. These programs typically don’t require an application until sophomore or junior year, but declaring a major early can help students hit the ground running on prerequisites. The same is true of tracks like prehealth, where stringent curriculum requirements can consume all four years of a student’s education.
Scholarship applications that are limited to a particular department or college at an institution — such as the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences — may also be reason enough to declare a major on college applications.
Conversely, students who are uncertain about their interests or who wish to keep their options open may decide against declaring a major. This is the path that Kalli Morris, a junior at Southern Illinois University– Edwardsville, chose.
“When I applied to colleges I did not include my intended major within this process. Mainly because I wanted to get in the classroom and see how I actually enjoyed the curriculum, and what went along with my intended major,” she said.
Because most schools don’t require students to declare a major until sophomore year, opting against a concentration is a great choice for students who are torn between two majors. This is also ideal for students who would like to conduct hands-on research before committing to their intended major.
Choosing an Approach
For college-bound high school seniors, there is a certain degree of strategy involved in deciding between these two options. Matthew McBryan, a junior at the University of Mississippi, knew what he wanted to study, but his actual major of choice varied from college to college.
He first reviewed the academic offerings at each school before choosing the major. In some instances, he had to choose economics or finance, depending on the school’s offerings.
[Consider out-of-school experiences to help choose a college major.]
McBryan’s application technique highlights the importance of reviewing the academic options at each school. Certain colleges may offer options that uniquely benefit a given student. In McBryan’s case, the University of Mississippi did just that.
“Knowing I was interested in a field of business, particularly banking and finance at the time, but not entirely sure what exactly I wanted to do, I marked an option that would list my major as ‘Business-Undeclared’ when I filled out my application. This allowed me to take courses that kept me on a track for any degree in business (accounting, finance, economics, etc.) while also allowing me to find out more about each potential path I could follow in business.”
Both McBryan and Morris advocate careful thought when deciding whether to declare a major. This is particularly true for students who don’t clearly identify with one of the reasons listed above.
These individuals should review their GPA, transcript, extracurricular activities and other interests to assess the appropriateness of each possible course of action. For instance, a student who applies to a very competitive program like engineering may inadvertently worsen his or her chances if his or her high school grades in science, technology, engineering and math — or STEM — subjects are weak.
Students should also research how their short list of schools view declaring a major on the application. Is it required or highly encouraged? How will the student compare against other applicants who choose the same concentration or who remain undeclared?
McBryan doesn’t believe that declaring a major on his applications greatly affected his outcomes, but he did add, “I do sometimes wonder if I had chosen my major to be chemistry at a school with a strong business program, would I have been different enough to be admitted?”
Ultimately, Abrifor, McBryan and Morris all agree that students should decide on the path that feels most comfortable to them — whether that’s declaring a major or remaining undeclared. McBryan said , “You know yourself, you know what your interests are, so make the best decision for you.”
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Determine Whether to Declare a Major on College Applications originally appeared on usnews.com
