Some kids emerge from the womb knowing they want to build rockets, design bridges or cure diseases. Others get to college unsure whether their life’s focus will be history or hiking. How much a child’s aspirations should guide their hunt for a school depends on who they are.
As parents helping our offspring navigate the application process, we want them to find a place where they will be happy and well educated. But we also would like them to get the kind of degree that makes them competitive in what may be a cut-throat job market or a brutal contest for a graduate-school slot.
It’s not that there’s one path to success. There are many. But as the application process runs its course, there’s a certain tension that I’ll summarize as: “How much should a 17-year-old’s current professional aspirations guide what schools they apply to?”
Specialist vs. Generalist
The answer to that question is that every journey is different. Some kids know what they want to study but not what they want to “do.” Others have a precise job in mind and think they have an academic road map to get there. Some children know they want to go to college but can’t imagine what comes after that.
For the purposes of this column, let’s divide them into specialists and generalists.
The specialists want to advance their education in a particular field. Future electrical engineers probably don’t need a school to have a top-notch art department. Future doctors probably want to see robust offerings in biology and chemistry. Future English teachers probably want a strong writing program. Future forest rangers probably want a school that engages the outdoors.
The generalists are still very much trying on identities. They are probably not applying to Georgia Tech, a superb engineering school. They are classic “liberal arts” students who may not decide what their major is until the last minute (typically the end of sophomore year).
As a parent, think about which of these labels better describes your kid. Help them search online for schools that “fit” their aspirations. A specialist may want to get going immediately down their chosen path. A generalist may want a large school ripe with opportunities to explore.
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Depth vs. Options
One thing to watch for: At your average liberal arts school, an English major can pretty easily become a history major. But a chemical engineering major at an engineering school may find it difficult to become a political science major. Specializing accelerates your progress but it can narrow your options.
Some schools target specialist students. My son identified international relations as his likely major. One school he applied to offered him not just undergraduate admission but also a guaranteed slot in their graduate IR program. That’s a great offer … but it also puts some pressure on your child not to change their mind.
How sure is your applicant about what they want to study? What would they study if they were not wedded to their current field? As always, your job is to facilitate the decision, not make it for them.
Deciding Not to Decide (Yet)
One thing to convey to your generalist: It’s OK not to know what you want to study, much less what sort of job you want after graduation.
That can be stressful. Applicants today are keenly aware of the price tag on a college education and may feel pressure to pick a major seen as opening up lucrative opportunities.
Some of that pressure may be coming from you, consciously or not. If you’re an accomplished professional, your child may feel the need to emulate you. They may think you expect a certain outcome (“law school!”). I’m not saying that’s wrong or bad, just that you need to be aware of it.
Please keep in mind that the route to success can be circuitous.
As an applicant, I knew what I wanted to study: international relations with a side of Spanish. (I picked my school in part because it has a core curriculum. I felt I should read Plato’s Republic but also knew that I wouldn’t unless it were required.)
I did not figure out that I wanted to be a journalist until two months before I received my Master’s in Latin American studies and international economics, nine years after I mailed my last college application.
Your kiddo has plenty of time to figure this out. If they need it.
