Carolan 1

Braeden Carolan

Profesor Freeland

English 1201

1 November 2020

Choosing a College and a Major

For many people nowadays, they have continued developing their education from

kindergarten all the way to at least their senior year in high school. As this year of schooling

approaches, many people become excited about being the oldest in the school, playing varsity

sports and attending events such as homecoming and prom. These occasions and experiences are

often some of the most enjoyable times of a young person’s life. Along with these memorable

events comes a major decision in a 17 or 18-year-old’s life; “What will I do after high school?”

While the answer to this question may come easy for some, others struggle with deciding on

what they want to do. Of those making that decision, there are a large number of people who

choose to continue their education and attend a college. In fact, 67% of all high school graduates

in 2017 went to college according to Jaleesa Bustamante in “Percentage of High School

Graduates That Go to College”. As a result, another large question shows itself which is “What

factors should I consider when choosing a college and deciding what my major should be?” The

answer to this question that many seniors must ask themselves is provisional because preference

plays a major role in the decision. They must consider factors such as student population,

proximity to home, selection of major, and cost. Though people’s priorities vary, the general

foundation for making these major decisions can be laid out as a guideline.
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The history of colleges in the United States dates back to 1636 when Harvard College

was founded, according to “History of Higher Education in the U.S.” written by writers attending

or employed by Cleary University. It was, along with many others, founded as a colonial college.

The article also states that “Early colonial institutions like Harvard were founded to provide

education to those going into the ministry, but after the American Revolution, colleges began to

broaden their focus to include education for the ministry, medicine and law”. Beginning in the

1800s, the purpose of college switched to be more practical by teaching things like agriculture

and engineering after the Morrill Act of 1862 was passed (History of Higher Education in the

U.S.). In correspondence with the Morrill Act, the government granted land that could be sold to

states so the funds could be put into funding a public college. Attending college for a 4-year
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degree has evolved to be much more common as time has gone on. Society has pinned college as

a necessity today, provoking the idea that you have to graduate from college in order to be

successful. The median weekly earning of someone who did not attend college is $718 (U.S.

Bureau of Labor Statistics). That number is compared to $1,189 which is the median weekly

earnings for someone with a bachelor’s degree. It is clear to see financially why nearly 70% of

all students in the United States who graduated high school attend a college regardless of the cost

to attend. While the importance of attending college is not being argued now, it is of importance

as choosing the right college for each individual is being investigated.

As college becomes a major part of a student’s life, it becomes critically important that

the student is attending the right college for them as an individual. One key aspect that people

must consider when choosing a college is the size of the college that they would want to attend.

There are some schools that have 60,000 or more students enrolled at the school while others

might only have a few thousand or even less. The effects of student body size are explained very

well in “4 Reasons to consider class size in college decision” which is written by Susan

Pohorski. Pohorski explains some of the benefits of going to a smaller college such as there

being more opportunities because there are going to be less people in a classroom. A low

student-faculty ratio also can lead to better grades as it is stated that a study was done that found

there to be a .52 probability of a student getting an A in a class of only 5 people. In comparison,

a class of 290 people was found to have only a .22 probability of a student getting an A

(Pohorski). Though a large student population might indicate that classes will also be large, class

size can also be affected by the major that a student is enrolled in. Pohorski states that subjects

such as history tend to have larger classes because the instruction is more lecture and discussion
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based. That is compared to a subject like biology where there will be hands-on labs dealing with

equipment in which a school will want classes smaller in size to reduce the needed quantity of

expensive equipment. Using this logic, a school with a smaller student-faculty ratio seems to be

the ideal choice academically, but there are other aspects to consider regarding student

population. There may be some people that want a large population so they can see new people

everyday or they might want a larger school so that their athletics are more prominent

nationwide. As with many factors for choosing a college, there will be some people that have

different needs and wants.

When choosing a college, students have the option to attend a school that is close to

home, across the country, or somewhere in the middle. Proximity to home plays a major factor in

what college students might attend as it can narrow or expand the options exponentially. A

student might want to move far away from home in order to experience a different lifestyle such

as a warmer climate if they live in the Northern United States. While a student may want to

move further from home there are also reasons to stay home which is mentioned in an article

written by writers with The College of St. Scholastica. The article is titled “Choosing a college:

The pros & cons of staying local”. The article mentions that attending school from home could

save a student from $8,000 to $13,000 per year by not having to pay for room and board. Aside

from living from home, it can benefit attending college close to home because it is much easier

to bring your belongings to a dorm and money will also be saved traveling home in case of an

emergency or simply being homesick (College of St. Scholastica). Though there are benefits to

staying close to home, there are also a few downsides. For example, if you are close to home or

even staying at home, you might be missing out on the true college experience which is stated by
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The College of St. Scholastica as “meeting new roommates, the ups and downs of dorm life,

attending homecoming football games, pulling all-nighters with study groups, joining campus

organizations, eating on cafeteria meal plans and living on a tight budget”. It is a matter of

preference and what a student prioritizes when it comes to how close they should stay when

attending a college.

The other factors had an element of desire and preference, but choosing a major is an

incredibly important aspect of choosing a college that does not have much preference, but can

still reduce a student’s college list. If the desired major is known by a student, the list of colleges

that they must choose from is reduced to only the schools that offer that specific major. The

article “How to Choose a Major” written by a staff of writers on collegechoice.net gives an all-

around guide full of information about how to select a college major. It states that a student

should consider their strengths and interests and find what classes they tend to favor over others.

Also, it is important to align your major with your career interests. An example is if a student

wants to do a nursing program after getting their 4-year degree, they should study physiology or

another health-based program (How to Choose a Major). If a student is unsure of the direction in

which they want to take their life, they can enroll as undecided in regards to their major. While a

student might still be undecided, they have the opportunity to “research the job growth and

earning potential in different careers to make an informed decision about their major and career

path” (How to Choose a Major). Also, if a student is undecided they may want to enroll in a

community college or a university that is more broad in its majors. This will allow them to take

their time deciding what they would like to do while also saving money in the process. Some

students might have multiple career interests so they find themselves wondering which one they
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should pursue. The article “How to Choose a Major” explains that a student could take

introductory courses in each area of study that interests them to decide their career path as they

enroll undecided. To conclude, each student may have different career interests and goals that

they want to get out of college. Some students might not even be sure as to what they would like

to study in college. As a result, students must assess their situation and apply the tips listed

previously to make the best decision on choosing a college with regard to majors and areas of

study.

Financially, each student will be in a different position about how college will be paid for

and, as a result, the cost of college will affect a certain student’s college choice more than others.

Many students will not have their college paid for and will have to use financial aid and student

loans to further their education past high school. The graph below shows the average student

loan debt for college graduates in each state.

According to

Henry

Cambell in

“Should the

Cost of

Tuition

Matter

When

Choosing a

College?”,
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the total cost for college is increasing at a rate that is 3x the rate of inflation which means that

college is only going to get more expensive. With that considered, the question may be asked: Is

the higher cost of a major university going to result in a better education? The answer to this

question might depend on who is asked. There may be some people that think a degree from a

prestigious college is worth the extra cost. Others might think that the major that is chosen is

more important than the college itself. That means for some, if a school with a cheaper tuition

has the same major, there is no difference between the less known, cheaper school and a

prestigious, yet more expensive school. There is also the aspect of how much money will you

likely make with the degree you earn. For example, an art history degree from Harvard will cost

hundreds of thousands of dollars and the job prospects are certainly lacking, so a student in this

situation will be stuck with lots of debt and not enough income to pay it off. If that same degree

is offered at a local community college, it will be much cheaper and even though the job prospect

is low, there isn’t as much debt for a student to pay off (Cambell). On the other hand, if a student

attends a top engineering school, it might be worth it to pay the extra money because they will

make substantial money using that degree and paying off the student debt will not be an issue. As

previously mentioned, if a student is undecided on their major, it is advantageous to attend a

cheaper school initially and take the general education classes while they try to decide what they

want to major in. After they decide their major and complete their general education classes, they

have the option to transfer schools. They could then decide to attend a 4-year university to

pursue a bachelor’s degree. When making a major financial decision like attending college, the

cost and affordability of the university should be taken into account depending on one’s financial

situation and how they would like to handle the rising cost of a college education.
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Aside from tuition, another aspect of cost that can help determine a students’ choice of

college is the cost of room and board and overall cost of living. Robert B. Archibald and David

H. Feldman studied and wrote an article called “Are Gold Plated Room & Board Charges

Important Drivers of College Cost?” about room & board. Archibald and Feldman also discuss

how it drives up college costs. According to Archibald and Feldman, the fees within cost of room

and board have gone up more than projected which makes considering room and board costs

even more crucial when selecting a college to attend. In addition to room and board costs alone,

there are plenty of other expenses in college that will add up quickly. Joki Okun is the author of

an article titled “The Factors Affecting the Costs of College” that discusses expenses outside of

the general tuition and room and board. Colleges that are in smaller towns tend to have less

expenses on “going out” compared to schools in larger cities. Additionally, in metropolitan areas

there is generally going to be more places to go and things to do compared to smaller, rural areas

(Okun). If a student is interested in having a part time job while in college, a larger city will

likely have more opportunities and they will likely be closer in proximity. Another advantage of

a larger city could be the potential opportunity for internships since there will likely be more

businesses in the profession that students are trying to pursue a job in. Other costs that will need

to be considered includes transportation as well as housing. Students will want to consider if the

campus is small enough to walk daily or if they will need some sort of transportation.

Furthermore, if a student is choosing to live off-campus, how will they get to class each day? In

regards to housing, if a student does not live in the school dorms, the price of an apartment

outside campus will need to be considered. There are many variables that must be accounted for

when it comes to the cost of college, but each student must assess each one and apply them to

their own scenario.

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The importance of cost is exponential and can play an enormous role in guiding

someone’s college decision. It can be argued that cost is the factor that is most important when

choosing a college. In agreement, Charlotte Etier authored a research report “Report: Single

Most Important Factor in Selecting a College is Cost”. In the report, Charlotte Etier explains how

63% of students said they “were most concerned with how much a specific college costs” when

asked what they thought was the “single most important factor when deciding where to go to

college”. To support the statement that cost is the most important factor when choosing a

college, Etier gives a statistic about families who make under $50,000 a year. She said that 74%

of families who make under $50k a year said that the amount students borrow to attend a specific

school is either an “important” or “very important” factor when deciding where to go to college.

This number is important because it addresses an income group in which college is certainly not

out of reach, but realistically, a college education will not be paid for easily by the parents of the

student if they make $50,000 per year. Also mentioned in the article is a report from The New

America Foundation that investigates students’ financial concerns about where to attend college.

The study showed that “88 percent of respondents saying it [financial aid] was a concern in the

college selection process” (Etier). With these statistics in mind, it is in the best interest of the

majority of students to consider the aspect of cost and how it applies to their situation when

deciding what college to attend.

To conclude, college can be a life-changing experience for many people. It is a chance

for an individual to reinvent themselves, meet new people, and further their education while

developing it into a career. It all adds up to being a major decision for a 17 or 18-year old senior
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in high school. There are plenty of factors that play into making the decision such as cost,

student population, distance from home, and availability of majors. Each aspect can be

prioritized by an individual student to meet their own needs and preferences. At the end of the

day, everyone’s circumstances are going to be different, so each factor needs to be assessed

thoroughly and adjusted accordingly in order to make the best decision possible and set a student

up for success in the future.

Works Cited

Archibald, Robert B., and Feldman, David H. “Are Gold Plated Room & Board

Charges Important Drivers of College Cost?” Working Papers, 2010.

EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=edsrep&AN=edsrep.p.cwm.wpaper.99&site=eds-live.

Bustamante, Jaleesa. “Percentage of High School Graduates That Go to College

[2020].” EducationData, 26 Sept. 2020, educationdata.org/high-school-

graduates-who-go-to-college.

Campbell, Harry. “Should the Cost of Tuition Matter When Choosing a College.”

SmartAsset, SmartAsset, 29 Dec. 2013, smartasset.com/student-

loans/should-the-cost-of-tuition-matter-when-choosing-a-college.

Cleary, University. “History of Higher Education in the U.S.” Cleary University,

7 Jan. 2016, cleary.edu/international/history-of-he/.

The College of St. Scholastica. “Choosing a College: The Pros & Cons of Staying

Local.” The College of St. Scholastica Preparing Students for a Life of

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Purpose, 16 Jan. 2017, www.css.edu/the-sentinel-blog/choosing-a-

college-the-pros-and-cons-of-staying-local.html

Etier, Charlotte. “Report: Single Most Important Factor in Selecting a College Is

Cost.” NASFAA, NASFAA, 10 June 2015, www.nasfaa.org/news-

item/4550/Report_Single_Most_Important_Factor_in_Selecting_a_Colleg

e_is_Cost.

Govan, George V., et al. “How High School Students Construct Decision-Making

Strategies for Choosing Colleges.” College and University, vol. 81, no. 3,

Jan. 2006, pp. 19–29. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=eric&AN=EJ745888&site=eds-live.

“High School Graduates Who Work Full Time Had Median Weekly Earnings of

$718 in Second Quarter.” U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Bureau of

Labor Statistics, 21 July 2017, www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2017/high-school-

graduates-who-work-full-time-had-median-weekly-earnings-of-718-in-

second-quarter.htm.

Kiersz, A. (2019, July 19). Average Student Loan Debt Per College Graduate

[Digital image]. Retrieved December 06, 2020, from

https://i.insider.com/5b3a93bd70e29131008b45dd?

width=1100&format=jpeg&auto=webp
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Okun, Jodi. “Here Are Some of the Additional Factors Affecting the Cost of

College.” The Balance, 9 Jan. 2020, www.thebalance.com/four-factors-

affecting-college-costs-795053.

Pohorski, Susan. “4 Reasons to Consider Class Size in College Decision.”

Wisconsin Technical Colleges, 6 Feb. 2020,

www.wistechcolleges.org/your-education/making-futures-blog/4-reasons-

consider-class-size-college-decision.

Staff Writers. “How to Choose a Major.” CollegeChoice, 20 Oct. 2020,

www.collegechoice.net/college-life/choosing-a-major/.