Undeclared: The gray wasteland of academic indecision

I was literally shocked after talking to a few incoming freshman about what they wanted to do in the future.

They were undeclared majors that could not even list the professions they wanted to go into. Now, I understand that college is a place to explore career options but you at least have to have some clue about the careers fields that you want to explore. I often ask my young sons what they want to be when they grow up and smile as they list several exciting options. Unfortunately, these freshmen could not do the same.

CSC makes it very easy to graduate with your bachelor degree within the intended four-year time frame. For incoming freshmen it is as simple as taking 15 hours a semester for eight semesters. Motivated individuals might even find that taking slightly heavier loads, and the use of summer school, will allow them to escape even faster than four years.

However, students often find themselves wasting additional years and money due to their own indecisiveness. I urge you not to spend over one semester as an undeclared student. While there are many essential studies requirements that provide credit for all majors, select majors may require specific classes. If you hated taking a required class the first time, you’ll really hate it when you have to repeat the requirement by taking a slightly different class.

While some individuals may tell you that you must have a bachelor degree in the academic discipline that you want a career in, unless you are going into a heavy science field, this in not usually the case. A bachelor degree really demonstrates the fact that you have the discipline to set in a classroom of four years and complete the assigned tasks provided by professors. This shows an employer that you are willing and able to complete tasks assigned in the workforce.

While I admire students that double major, I wonder if their delay in entering the workforce and the additional debt is actually worth the cost. Often it would be more effective to graduate with a single major and enter the workforce. Additional classes or majors could be taken while employed, generating higher-levels of income. Or perhaps skipping the second major would extend your undergraduate program and enter into a graduate program.

If you are truly lost and have absolutely no idea on what you want to be when you “grow up,” another great option would be to design a custom degree plan using Bachelors of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies around your interests. While this won’t provide you a degree in any specific academic major, it will at least demonstrate that you are capable of operating in several academic fields. This interdisciplinary approach to education and leadership is growing increasingly important in many career fields.

In the end, undeclared students are lost. It is very difficult to complete any journey without a map on how to get from the start point to the final destination. The longer you stay undeclared, the more likely you are to not make progress towards anything but a huge debt. I urge you to take my advice and make a choice.

Find an academic program or craft an interdisciplinary program that you can stomach for four years and finish. Honestly, who wants to be in college for six or more years and maybe get nothing? According to TheFiscalTimes.com, 45 percent of American students will spend six years in college and never get their degrees.

Your degree may not perfectly fit with the career your eventually find yourself in, but it is likely that the majority of graduates will work outside their academic discipline sometime in their lives.

If you pick a major and stick with it, you can accomplish your goal in graduating college in four years. Then you will have that magical diploma to help you find a good paying job and a successful life.