5 Tips For Helping Students Declare A Major

Deciding upon a college major can be a stressful situation for high school students. The following list covers some ways that can help talented students select the proper career path.

Field Trips

High schools can help students declare a major by offering field trips. Some trips can be made to settings where students can clearly see other professionals at work. Biotechnology laboratories, surgical rooms and radiation imaging facilities are some places that can influence students to pursue medical careers. A school trip to an air force base can influence students to pursue technical careers in aviation. A trip could even be taken to local community colleges, like Lamar Community College, to see what kind of local, narrow-focused degrees are available.

Guest Speakers

Students can get inspired by professionals that visit a high school and offer lectures about specific career options. A diverse lineup of workers could give students insights about the real world job market. Lawyers, accountants, nurses and electrical engineers provide a nice mix of speakers for a high school audience.

Guidance Counseling

By reviewing a transcript, a guidance counselor can help high school students choose a major. A counselor can easily notice the strengths of a student based on a cumulative report card. Sometimes, counselors may suggest that well rounded students pursue a general liberal arts degree and then possibly combine it with a specific minor. A guidance counselor may work with the head of a department to properly select a major for a student. For instance, the math chairperson can suggest that students with high grades in Calculus pursue a related degree in mathematics, engineering or computer science.

Head Start in High School

Some students already take courses that can be counted as college level credits. It makes sense for such students to decide on a major that’s related to higher education credits already earned in high school. For example, U.S. students taking AP classes in biology and chemistry can pursue a degree in bio-engineering or pharmaceutical studies.

Spending a Day at Work

Students can watch their family members or older friends at work. A student can visit an office and observe what his or her parents do on a daily basis. For the sake of variety, a student can visit a factory plant where his neighbor works as a production manager. It’s important for students to get a real life view of a career before deciding on a college major.

High school staff, family members and good friends can help students select a college major. School field trips, guest speakers and relatives can offer real world tips on career options.