The college application process is coming to an end for seniors as the end of 2025 approaches. Deciding which colleges to commit to is crucial to their futures, another key decision is choosing a major.
There are roughly 1,800 different majors offered in the U.S. for students to choose from, yet some are more common than others. These include business, engineering, biological sciences, social sciences, nursing and psychology. According to the college and career counselor, Mrs. Nguyen, these majors are also the most common at Aliso Niguel.
Career opportunities driven by technology and high demand for skilled professionals in the corporate world are the main factors as to why these majors are currently common. As for nursing, high earning potential, meaningful work and benefits sound promising to students.
Gavin Gabal (12) describes the process of choosing a major as “difficult and exciting as a whole. I’m lucky to have support from my friends, family, and counselors but it can be hard finding time to write essays and choosing the right school for me.”
It is also common for seniors to not have a major and be undeclared, as they are still figuring out what they want to do moving forward in college. At some colleges general studies is another form of undeclared, which is a series of different topics that allow students to broaden their horizons to find their future major, or to simply learn about a wide range of things.
This shows the diversity and deep contrast between all students not only at Aliso Niguel but also in the country. Some people figure out their future plans earlier in life, while others discover themselves closer to application season, or even after once they explore more in college.
Gavin Gabal (12) says, “I chose my major by looking at which classes I enjoyed the most and where I see myself in the future regarding my career. That being said, I’m hoping to go to a school with flexibility in my major to keep my options open just in case.”
College plays a huge role in the different majors people choose as some universities have better programs for specific majors.
For example, the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan are nationally ranked as having some of the best business schools, so business majors would most likely apply there or other universities with good business programs.
MIT, Stanford and UC Berkeley are well known for their engineering programs as well, making them quite popular in that aspect.
These factors also determine if a student will remain in that same major until their third year, as it is also incredibly common for students to switch things up after further exploration. Determining majors is a very complex process that not only involves exploring different academic subjects and topics, but also involves self-exploration and discovering how one functions and solves problems, which is why timing is not the same for everyone.
This season is bringing much stress, joy and tough decision-making into the lives of juniors and seniors across the country, as choosing their majors will significantly impact their lives whether they choose to commit to it or not. Over the years, some majors have been more popular than others, yet this year, business, engineering, nursing and psychology have been more common due to various demands for certain skills in the workforce and certain benefits.
