Navigating the College Search for the Undecided STEM Student
It is common for high school and new college students to be undecided about what they want to major in during college. And those who start college with certainty about their major often change their minds. Not being sure about what one wants to study is entirely developmentally appropriate! At the age of 18 or 19, students are still young, forming their identities, and have significant learning and growth ahead of them. Students will and should change during college. After all, that is one of the goals of education.
Often, undecided students have some general sense of academic areas that do (or do not!) interest them, such as the social sciences (sociology, psychology, economics, political science, international relations), humanities and arts (English, world languages, philosophy, religion, film), or STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math). In other articles, I’ve shared my general approach to guiding undecided students and also guiding those who are confident that they want to study CS and engineering. In this piece, I share my process for guiding the student who enjoys math and science but is uncertain whether they want to study math, science, or engineering: the undecided STEM student.
How to Support High School Students Through Their College Major Selection
There are many ways to support high school students as they begin to develop a sense of their academic direction:
A student’s high school experience provides clues. What courses has a student chosen to take, and what grades did they earn in these courses? Which courses have been their favorite? In which areas have they elected to take advanced coursework? Areas in which students excel and positively challenge themselves suggest potential future majors.
Further clues come from how students spend their time beyond classes and outside of school. What extracurricular activities do they engage in and enjoy? What do they do in their spare time and for fun that may connect to their academic or career interests? What books do they read? What podcasts do they listen to? Who or what do they follow on YouTube, Instagram, Twitter? How a student spends their free time sheds light on possible academic interests.
Students can use tools that allow them to explore themselves and majors and careers that may match their personality and strengths, such as YouScience, MBTI, and MyMajors.
There are many majors that students may not be exposed to in high school. For example, pre-health-related majors beyond biology include community health, public health, immunology, and epidemiology. Lesser-known STEM majors like engineering psychology, geographic information systems, and data science are all options to explore! Students should access websites to learn about possible majors such as The Bureau of Labor and Statistics, What Can I do With This Major?, and College Board’s Big Future.
Examining LinkedIn profiles of professionals and their educational backgrounds can demonstrate how majors map to a career.
Students will continue to learn throughout their remaining high school experience. They should select courses and summer and extracurricular experiences to help them gain insights into what they like (or don’t). As they make choices, the opportunity to learn should guide them, not the hope of impressing an admissions officer.
Students should seek opportunities to learn from others. Many high schools offer career days and job shadowing programs to expose students to different fields. Informational interviews with friends, family, and other community members can also be valuable for students to learn about different careers and career paths.
Deep engagement with the college search process over time facilitates the development of a student’s academic direction. Students learn what they seek and value through a thoughtful college search that includes exercises of introspection and research.
What are good fit schools for undecided STEM students?
For all students, a strong college list includes institutions that are a good fit for them. Good fit schools for undecided STEM students support the exploration of STEM majors and the flexibility to move between them.
As always, the fit should guide whether or not a school belongs on a student’s college list. A school should not be added because it is highly ranked, highly selective, or well-known, factors that are useless if a student cannot achieve their academic goals at the institution. It doesn’t matter how highly ranked a school is if a student cannot major in their area of interest once they determine it!
A good fit school will offer many possible majors that interest the undecided STEM student. However, it is essential to realize that there are institutions where high-demand majors such as CS and engineering are only available to students admitted to them directly at the time of acceptance.
Colleges and universities differ, especially regarding flexibility and support for students to explore academic subjects.
Usually, at a college, there is one school - the college - where all majors are available to students. In contrast, universities often have multiple schools that undergraduates may enroll in. For instance, at Carnegie Mellon University, undergraduates may pursue majors in the College of Engineering, College of Fine Arts, Dietrich College of Humanities & Social Sciences, School of Computer Science, Mellon College of Science, Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy, and Tepper School of Business. At Johns Hopkins University, undergraduates may pursue majors in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, Whiting School of Engineering, or Peabody Institute. In many cases, students apply to a school when they apply to the university and, if accepted, can only major in the majors offered within that school. It may or may not be feasible to transfer within the university from one school to another. At some universities, it is relatively easy to do so. At others, it is unlikely, if not impossible. For instance, moving into the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon is exceedingly difficult. Some universities even limit a major within a school, such as Johns Hopkins, where it is not easy to move into the biomedical engineering major. At other universities, it is difficult to change a major (and school) once admitted to it. For instance, this is the case at California Polytechnic San Luis Obispo, the University of Washington-Seattle, and the University of Texas at Austin.
The typical undecided student interested in the social sciences and humanities can attend many institutions where all of their majors of interest are housed within a single school, whether it be a small liberal arts college or the School of Arts and Sciences at a university. However, the undecided STEM student often has interests that are available in different schools at a university, such as a School of Arts and Sciences (natural sciences and math majors) or a School of Engineering (engineering majors). Thus, the potential to explore majors at an institution, possibly moving between its schools, is an essential consideration for the undecided STEM student, more so than students with many other interests.
Best Colleges and Universities for Undecided STEM Students
Liberal arts colleges that offer engineering, such as Trinity College, Lafayette College, and Union College, may be a good match because all majors are available to all students within the College. See my article Illuminating Your Path to an Engineering Major and Career for a longer list of small colleges and universities that offer engineering.
Universities that offer special programs and support for undecided STEM students are excellent options for those still figuring out their major. A few such programs are The University Studies Program at the University of Delaware, The Explore Program at Northeastern University, The Exploratory Studies program at North Carolina State at Raleigh, The University Exploratory Program at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, and The First-Year Exploratory Studies Program at Drexel University.
Schools with an open curriculum (no requirements other than completing a major and eight semesters of study) or a very flexible curriculum that offer both engineering and liberal arts are wise choices for undecided STEM students. Brown University is an excellent example of the former and the University of Rochester the latter.
Universities with all majors available to students, like MIT and Case Western University, are excellent choices.
Universities that enable students to take courses in different schools and move between them are good choices. Tufts University, which has a clear internal transfer pathway, is a strong example. Duke University is another institution that supports students moving between the Pratt School of Engineering and the Trinity College of Arts and Sciences.
Case Studies of Undecided STEM Students
Case Study 1: The student interested in a natural science
Elizabeth was a strong student in math and science in high school. She loved biology and had done two summer internships doing biological research at UMass Medical Center but had little computer science or engineering exposure. Elizabeth told me she might want to study applied biology, such as biomedical engineering, but was unsure and reluctant to commit to applying to a school of engineering. This uncertainty, alongside the fact that she did not have a lot of engineering experience to make a strong application as an engineering major, meant that I approached her college search process very differently than for a student clear on wanting to study engineering. I guided her to apply as a biology major to schools that offered biology and applied biology programs and the flexibility to explore and move between them. After considering her other nonacademic criteria, I included schools such as Brown, Emory, Johns Hopkins, MIT, Swarthmore, Tufts, and the University of Rochester on her list. Ultimately, she chose between Emory, Rochester, Swarthmore, and Tufts, selecting Tufts. At the end of her first year at Tufts, she internally transferred from the School of Arts and Sciences at Tufts to the School of Engineering and graduated with a degree in biomedical engineering in 2020.
Case Study 2: The student interested in math, computer science (CS), and engineering
William is a high school senior with whom I am currently working. He loves math and computer science and believes he wants to study computer science or some type of engineering, such as electrical engineering, computer engineering, mechanical engineering, or aerospace engineering. Since he doesn’t know what he wants to study, support for undecided students to decide on their major and flexibility to switch majors and schools (if at a university) is critical, and his list reflects this. I’ve identified universities that offer majors in CS and engineering with the flexibility to move between these fields and that otherwise meet his nonacademic criteria, such as MIT, Tufts, and Northeastern University, smaller colleges such as Colorado School of Mines, Olin, and Rose-Hulman, and, since coops interest him, schools that offer them such as Drexel, Northeastern, and the University of Cincinnati. I also have not recommended any schools with impacted (or capped) majors, such as Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Washington-Seattle, the University of Texas at Austin, and many of the University of California schools. I am encouraged that he has been open to the range of schools that I’ve offered him!
Case Study 3: The student interested in engineering and another non-STEM field
Sienna is another high school senior that I am currently guiding. She is creative and wonders about studying engineering or graphic design. Like Elizabeth and William, since she doesn’t know what she wants to study, flexibility to explore majors is critical. Since her interests are so varied, she also needs strong advising to help her determine her major. Her list includes the schools with exploratory programs that I referenced earlier in this piece and other similar ones, too. All the schools she has applied to offer engineering and graphic design majors, include mentoring and advising structures to teach students about different fields, and provide pathways to her majors of interest. Some even offer specific housing for undecided students, such as NC State's Exploratory Studies Village. I’m excited for Sienna, whose college home will support her to identify the major that is right for her.
It’s a Journey.
Students who enjoy math and science should embrace the exciting major exploration journey that awaits them at their good-fit college. At Lantern College Counseling, we guide the undecided student through the college admissions process to find a fit that will allow them the flexibility and resources to be able to flourish along their journey.
