<p>Oldfort, thanks for the advice. My kid is one who would not do well at a large research focused school like Rutgers. If he were the type who would sail at a big U. I’d have him attend. Thanks for the advice. I agree with you, but not every person can be a school like Rutgers. </p>
<p>R2R, good point and I have heard this before.</p>
<p>Miami, I hope that you are right. Frankly, I like these schools for my kid because I have a gut feeling that he’d graduate from either and with a good, and hopefully high gpa. This is another reason that I am not encouraging reach schools, but match and safety school (not safeties where he would be in the top 5% going in though, perhaps top 20%).</p>
<p>I’ve read through the thread and I keep coming back to the same question, What is the goal here?</p>
<p>Is it to be immediately employable? Well then I’d suggest nursing programs first, engineering second, comp-sci engineering third and math fourth. The problem is I don’t get a sense that the OP’s son is interested in any of these options.</p>
<p>Is it choosing a school with a good English department that has a business option? Frankly neither choice A or B seems to fit the bill particularly well. Relying on another school’s Master’s program in Accounting is not terribly different than applying to any grad school after undergrad.</p>
<p>As far as boredom and business classes go, I think any subject is boring if you have no interest in it. That said, I can’t imagine a more mind numbing life than being a disinterested accounting drone. </p>
<p>My two suggestions are to a) consider larger schools that offer a fuller range of academic options, and b) encourage your son to double major in English and Economics, that way both of you will have options that you are comfortable with. I’d also recommend overcoming the foreign language resistance, the coming years will only continue the globalization of society. The more languages someone knows the more options they will have available to them.</p>
<p>vince, all good points. As far as goal, you read through our struggle. As a senior in hs the goals are not clear yet. He is not interested in nursing, engineering, etc. for immediate employment. I cannot entirely rule out education certification though. If that comes to pass, we decided that he’ll decide where he’d like to teach and seek a master’s degree in ED in that state. I am now convinced that we do not need to stick with colleges/U.s that have a business school, and if they have one we do not need to worry about AACSB accreditation, thanks to the posters on this thread. CC posters thank you for the help in sorting this out with me!!!</p>
<p>I will say that there is at least a 50% chance that he’ll stick with English. There is still a 50% that he’ll discover another passion and major in it. Heck, I am happy that he at least has something that interests him now! I think that A and B do have solid English departments so that aspect does not worry me at all. I cannot say that one has the “better” department.</p>
<p>As far as foreign language, it was a bad experience for him in HS. He got through it, but really it did not accomplish much for him. I think foreign language is learned best by full immersion in a foreign country. He’ll do what he is required as far as FL, but he is far from excited about it. He has crossed off a couple of schools that require more than 2 semesters of it. Vince, you are absolutely right about globilization and options, there is no doubt about it.</p>
<p>Northeastmom, if I may, I wish to play a “devils advocate” to some of the points made on this thread.</p>
<p>First, we are in a bad economy.Don’t believe the press that everything is getting much better. The implication of this statement is that kids should seek a vocationally oriented major UNLESS they are attending a top-notch, well regarded school. English is NOT a vocationally oriented major. </p>
<p>I have emphasized this because kids who attend lower tier schools ,even those from many state universities, have to have an edge in today’s environment. Having a vocationally oriented major with a strong GPA will give those kids an edge. Having a major in English, Classics, Philosophy, Political Science, History etc. won’t be as advantageous for jobs. </p>
<p>I have a friend with five kids who were recent college grads. Everyone one of the kids who majored in a vocationally oriented major, such as Engineering or Accounting has a job. The kids that majored in Classics and History, are now working as waiters or learning to “biggie size” drinks. Obviously, this may not be statistically valid,but it does illustrate the problem with these types of majors.</p>
<p>Note: If your kid goes to an ivy school, semi ivy, or top notch LAC, my vocational suggestions aren’t as imperative.</p>
<p>Finally, I do want to emphasize that kids should also strive to take a strong program in liberal arts in order to strengthen their skills in writing and critical reading. I do think that these skills are important, just not to the extreme of majoring in a liberal arts discipline. </p>
<p>northeastmom,
I tend to believe that I am right becasue I was able to get 9 jobs in the area that has been always economically depressed. I could not relocate, I was forced to look locally, while a lot of professionals left our city. In addition, I got about 6 of 9 jobs out of ads in local newspaper, while recruiters claim that success rate of such a job search is about 2%. I have dealt with recruiters also, I do not like them, they were too pushy by my taste and some of them were not trusworthy (from my experience, others might have more positive impressions)</p>
<p>Perhaps I am wrong, but I think part of getting a job has to do with the person too. I have a relative who is a workaholic. He is a “doer”. He has a degree from a third tier state school in business. He never took any grad school classes. It took 6 mos. to land his first “real” job. He spent his first 6 mos. after graduation working in an electronics department of a retail chain for minimum wage. His first break was a small start up company and he stayed with them for about a year while living at home. He got to the job that he has been with for over 25 years by being “seen” at a trade show. He was not afraid to roll up his sleeves and work. Someone in a hiring position at the other company spotted him, and handed him a card. That person offered to pay my relative more than whatever he was being paid. He moved up the chain with this company and HYPSM grads would probably have been standing in line for his job after his first promotion. That said, I have another relative who is an English major and she went nowhere with it, but did not try too hard to do so either.</p>
<p>Taxguy, you may very well be right. I cannot turn my into someone that he isn’t. He is not interested in nursing, computer science, etc. He is a personable, likable, creative young man who is a pretty good writer. He is seriously considering the teaching profession.</p>
<p>One other thing, school B I think works very hard at helping their students get internships before they graduate. I can’t help but believe this will help in landing a job.</p>
<p>Oh, and I do know one person (might have said so on this thread already, but don’t recall) who majored in English at what is probably a 2nd tier school with name recognition. After graduation she went for a 6 week certification program in a related field and the program was in a large city school. I am sure that 6 week program cost a fortune, but she made the contacts that she needed through it and she has an excellent job because of it. Her 4 year school did not help her find that job, but the contact made through a certificate program located in a large city did!!!</p>
<p>Teaching is very good, let him be who he wants to be. Most business majors would not like to be teachers. He would be in a wrong pond with all of us. And, by the way, I am Computer Science and love it. But… you need to love it to be good at it,… just like everything else though.</p>
<p>Northeastmom, if your son is REALLY interested in English, how about a semi- vocational English major such as “technical writing” or “creative writing.” There are some schools, such as CMU, that have these types of majors.</p>
<p>taxguy, those are possible, but who knows. He is too young to tell. I think that he’ll really end up with some English classes and have a 50% that he’ll find another major. If not, there is always law school, if not teaching! I do not picture this kid at CMU either. He likes tiny (I mean tiny) schools. LOL, I think the math and science people at CMU would freak him out too.</p>
<p>I was an English major and have had a pretty good career in publishing. You can do plenty with a degree in English: PR, advertising, publishing, teaching, etc. The bottom line is that your son should do what makes him happy. Why must he declare a major right away. Do any of the schools he’s interested in offer exploratory studies?</p>
<p>editor, he does not need to declare right away. He did want to apply as an English major because for the moment he thinks that this is what he wants. Thanks for posting about your major/career.</p>
<p>“Management? What the H… is that? I never understood a major (minor or whatever) in management. What, whom are you learning to manage? Upper mgmt., middle or lower? Profit or nonprofit? My own business or a major corp.? A sports camp or GE?
Management is a Verb.”</p>
<p>I believe otherwise. I found managing my own business and a major corporation to involve similar management principles, the ones taught in good management programs: you are learning to manage employees, products, finances, customer satisfaction, etc. As the major management and leadership texts stress, the principles are virtually the same regardless of the questions you cite. This is why people such as Bill Gates and Sam Walton were very successful as managers of small startups and later as managers of huge companies and why Jack Welh and others were very successful first as managers of small business units within a large company and later as CEO of the company.</p>
<p>Similarly, the causes of the downfall of many large businesses would be equally easily understood by a manager of a nonprofit, a sports camp, or anything else–manage your risk carefully, unlike AIG; do not take customer loyalty for granted, unlike GM; understand your balance sheet, unlike Lehman Brothers; do not think that prices only go in one direction, unlike the subprime mortgage industry.</p>