Otterbein University > Your Student's Choice Of Major

Your Student's Choice of Major

When your student is deciding on a major, as a parent, you should:

Encourage open discussion about majors and careers and the student’s interests

Not be judgmental about their choices

Not make decisions for your son or daughter

Be patient and supportive, but raise important questions and issues such as:

What classes do you enjoy most?
Which majors are you considering and why?
Have you talked to your advisor or someone in the Center for Career Planning about choosing a major? What was their advice?
Do you think you are likely to do well in the major you have chosen?
Have you talked to upper class students about their majors?

The major your student chooses:

should be realistic

should be enjoyable to him or her

should be something in which he or she can do well

can but does not need to lead directly to a career path

can be complemented with a marketable or compatible minor or minors

Facts about students and college majors that most people don’t know:

Most undergraduate degrees should not be considered job training (Exceptions are degrees in the professional areas of education and nursing which require the degree for licensing purposes.)

Almost 75% of college students change their major at least once.

There is a direct relationship between the college major and a job after graduation for only about one half of all college graduates. Later in a graduate’s career, their job is even less likely to be related to his or her major.

Employers are typically more concerned with the demonstrable skills a candidate possesses that with the candidate’s choice of major.

Your Student's Choice of Major

/ Center for Career Planning

/ Resources

Being at Otterbein

Find the Information for You

What's Happening Now

Take the Next Step