Review of Literature
Millions of young adults become college students in the United States every year. Nearly 50 – 80 % of these students change their majors at least once during their collegiate careers (www.statisticbrain.com). This number is astoundingly high to many first year students. Many students worry about being undecided and fear for the future (Wendy).
It is incredibly important that students realize that selecting a major does not mean you are selecting a career. There are few degrees that keep a student glued to a particular job like nursing or accounting. Thus, a student should not be incredibly timid of “declaring” a major. This does not mean however, that a student should over – indulge in course exploration (Tomer). “Bad advice” is often given to undecided students. They are told to take an array of courses. This could ultimately prove expensive and wasteful for the student if they are not cautious. If a student is intrigued in a labor - intensive major, like engineering, they should take the prerequisites for that major. Otherwise, the student will begin to miss out and fall behind. Regardless if the student chooses that major, they will have the prerequisites just in in case. On the other hand, a student may be able to be more adventurous with a major that is more flexible (Onink).
Students cannot be the sole scapegoats of their indecisiveness. Many advisors do not do the best job in helping students make this enormous decision. They often give the “bad advice” mentioned above. Advisors need to make an effort to truly understand the interests of a student. The advisor should not pick the students major but bring out the genuine goals and aspirations of the student, which will help the student realize the path they desire to follow (Slowinski and Hammock).
Back to Splash Page!
It is incredibly important that students realize that selecting a major does not mean you are selecting a career. There are few degrees that keep a student glued to a particular job like nursing or accounting. Thus, a student should not be incredibly timid of “declaring” a major. This does not mean however, that a student should over – indulge in course exploration (Tomer). “Bad advice” is often given to undecided students. They are told to take an array of courses. This could ultimately prove expensive and wasteful for the student if they are not cautious. If a student is intrigued in a labor - intensive major, like engineering, they should take the prerequisites for that major. Otherwise, the student will begin to miss out and fall behind. Regardless if the student chooses that major, they will have the prerequisites just in in case. On the other hand, a student may be able to be more adventurous with a major that is more flexible (Onink).
Students cannot be the sole scapegoats of their indecisiveness. Many advisors do not do the best job in helping students make this enormous decision. They often give the “bad advice” mentioned above. Advisors need to make an effort to truly understand the interests of a student. The advisor should not pick the students major but bring out the genuine goals and aspirations of the student, which will help the student realize the path they desire to follow (Slowinski and Hammock).
Back to Splash Page!