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Help your teen focus in on college As if high school wasn’t stressful enough between AP classes and SATs, now students in some states are required to declare a major. Florida is the most recent state to jump on this growing bandwagon. In June, Gov. Jeb Bush signed into law a bill requiring that all of Florida’s high school students declare majors in ninth grade. The type of majors will run the gamut from traditional academic fields like foreign language and math to vocational areas such as carpentry or auto repair. Scheduled to go into effect for the 2007-08 school year, the program was created based on the belief that an early emphasis on college and career will keep students in high school improve their performance and better prepare them for adult life. But this trend of making high schools more “college-like” is a concern for many educators as well as parents and teenagers. Denise Clark Pope, a lecturer at the Stanford University School of Education and author of “Doing School: How We are Creating a Generation of Stressed Out, Materialistic, and Mis-educated Students” (Yale University Press, 2001), worries that the requirement could actually be detrimental. “I fear that this could just be one more hoop that students will be forced to go through in order to get into the college of their choice,” she says. “They’ll pick a major like math because they think it looks good, even though it might not be the best choice for them. Brynn McIsaac, a 19-year-old student at Orange Coast College in Costa Mesa, believes that choosing a major early in high school would be too difficult for most students. “Teenagers have enough identity issues without being pressured to make a career choice as a freshman,” she says. Regardless of what a person’s point of view is on this subject, the fact remains that for the motivated student whose intent is to go to a four-year university, it’s never too early in high school to start making plans for college and this includes thinking about particular areas of study. “I find that many high school students don’t even know the names of various college majors,” says Shan Schumacher, who along with Jayne Ruane owns Higher Applications, an Orange County-based consulting business that simplifies the college application process for students and their parents. “Because of this lack of knowledge, we find that it’s important to help them understand which types of majors may be a good fit for them in terms of their areas of interest and learning styles.” After obtaining information from Schumacher and Ruane, who are both members of the Western Association of College Admissions Counselors, high schoolers are then able to conduct self-analysis and research to figure out several concrete areas that they find interesting. The next step is to identify the colleges and universities that offer programs in these areas as well as determine their admissions requirements to see if it’s a logical fit. “One of the saddest things that can happen is when students identify very late in the process which college and program they want to apply to and then find out that they didn’t take the appropriate classes needed in high school to gain admission,” says Ruane. “Our service was set up to prevent this from happening because we teach students and their parents how to manage this complicated process.” Even though Schumacher and Ruane share concerns about laws requiring high students to pick majors, they do point out that there are college programs that do require freshmen to declare majors and in most of these cases there are specific admissions requirements. For example, engineering schools typically require four years of advanced math and science, and competitive art and film schools often require a portfolio of a student’s work. Although some high school students have a clear idea of what they want to study in college, it’s important to remember that the vast majority does not. That’s why the No. 1 designated major for incoming college freshmen throughout the country is undeclared. Statistics also show that nearly two-thirds of all students who declare a major at the beginning of their college career will change that major during the first year. “Students need to know that they can be flexible about their education,” says Schumacher. “The best scenario is when a student explores a variety of options and then feels secure knowing they made the right choice.” m Carol Daus is a freelance writer who lives in Huntington Beach with her husband and three teenagers. For Letters: ocfamily.com and click on Feedback. College Planning Resources Higher Applications higherapplications.com 714.730.9695 A program that simplifies the college application process through one-on-one counseling and ongoing informational resources, such as timelines, organizational kits, research material and email reminders. College Focus collegefocus.com 949.833.7867 A college counseling service that provides one-on-one consulting as well as career testing. Student Checklist • Visit regularly with school guidance counselor and career planning specialist. Many students (and parents) don’t realize how many resources are available through school. • Volunteer for community service projects that you have an interest in – often this will expose potential career opportunities. • “Shadow” people who have jobs that interest you. Ask them about their educational background and work experience. • Use self-assessment books to help narrow down possible majors and career choices. Recommended: “The Everything College Major Test Book” (Adams Media Corporation, 2006) and “145 Things to Be When You Grow Up: Planning a Successful Career While You’re Still in High School” (Princeton Review Publishing, 2004) |
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