High Schoolers Answer the ‘Major’ Question with Popular Major Choices

JENNIFER THAI
Staff Writer

College offers many academic freedoms relevant to specific interests or studies that can start career pathways.
The college experience emphasizes pursuing new interests and opportunities. Deciding which path to take is one of the most difficult choices for seniors to decide on, as it may potentially make or break their college experience.
According to the Princeton Review, Business Administration and Management/Commerce is the most popular college major. People with good marketing and decision-making skills are compatible with this major because it accentuates their leadership. This pathway is both applicable to mathematics and communication and aptitude. Although Business Administration is a popular major, it is also very competitive. The world of business revolves around being successful by making the most of limited resources.
“Business is a broad major that can put you on many different career paths. According to [research], a degree in Business Administration seems to [be] safe, growing and flexible. You meet, network and work with new people all the time,” senior Brian To said.
Psychology is the second most popular college major listed by the Princeton Review. Within this broad major, there are subcategories that focus on different aspects, such as learning, personality, intelligence, perception and motivation. Prospects of this major are those who are interested in analyzing human behavior.
Another route, medicine, remains a prominent aspect of the world today. This is why Nursing has been labeled as the third most popular college major, according to the Princeton Review. Treating health problems with ever-changing and improving technology motivates people to certify themselves as nurses in order to help improve the world. “Since I was a little kid, hearing [my family members] talk about their work would draw my attention and I [took] an interest in anatomy and physiology. [A] lot of other people are also drawn to a career in nursing because they too want to help people and save lives,” senior Krista Weng said.
Biology/Biological Sciences, Education, English Language and Literature, Economics, Communications Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric, Political Science and Government and Computer and Information Sciences are the next seven most popularly ranked majors by the Princeton Review, respectively.
Regardless of the individual’s chosen path, it is not advised to select what is believed to be the easiest major or a major that a friend has selected because both of these options do not foster the aptitudes and interests of the individual.
“My advice to seniors who have not yet decided on a major would be, ‘Take your time; don’t rush. It’s okay to finish your general class requirements before you begin your specific major,’” Assistant Principal of Guidance Jeremy Infranca said.
The opportunities taken or missed all affect an individual’s college and life experience. Like a fork in a road, there are different options to consider when travelling the road called life, all of which comes down to the individual. Sometimes, it all depends on the journey itself.