<p>Just curious...with regard to college choices.</p>
<p>Would you force your child to attend a college that did not offer their major or a major in their area of interest, simply because the bottom line costs were less...and there were affordable options on your child's accepted list?</p>
<p>I wouldn’t if there were other, reasonable alternatives that I could afford that had their desired major. It’s difficult for me to imagine this scenario as I wouldn’t have let my kid apply to a college that didn’t have the major he wanted to study.</p>
<p>good grief -no! </p>
<p>"I wouldn’t have let my kid apply to a college that didn’t have the major he wanted to study. "
exactly! we eliminated lots of colleges that did not have strong programs in his chosen major. But he DID know what he wanted to study all along. And he did not change his mind once he was in college. </p>
<p>But for students who have NO idea what they want to major in- that would probably change all the financial calculations.</p>
<p>My DH steered older s away from the LACs he really liked after visiting them b/c ds, while planning to major in physics, thought he might be interested in engineering at some point. The LACs assured him that he could either do a 3-2 program or could go to grad school in engineering, but ultimately S decided not to apply to a school that didnt offer engineering as an option, even though he intended to be a physics major and was pretty clear about that going into the college selection process (and he loved the feel of LACs).</p>
<p>Well, no surprise, soph yr DS decided to transition from physics (too tired of doing math sets) to mech E. If he had chosen a school that did not ofer engineering he’d have had to either transfer, go to a 3-2 program (which would have hand him graduating right when the job market tanked) or would have required grad school, which he wants to do down the road.
So bottom line, while I love LACs, it ws NOT the right choice for him, given his interests and thought processes.</p>
<p>One of our kids enrolled in college as an undeclared arts and sciences major. Still…her college (a masters university with about 4500 undergrads…and the “feel” of a LAC) had strong programs in her areas of interest. Even though she was “undecided”, this particular school offered strong sciences/engineering programs.</p>
<p>Like Jym…we helped our kid apply to and choose a school that had multiple options of interest.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>No. What would be the point? </p>
<p>And if the child wasn’t interested in studying anything at those schools, why did they apply in the first place?</p>
<p>Surely there are financially appropriate schools out there that would include the student’s intended major?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>We just went through that. She had an acceptance to a college where we can afford to cover the entire cost except for her work study - i.e., she will have no debt - and to one that was about $8,000 more. The first does not have her desired major, the second does. We offered to split the difference - we’d dig down and come up with another $4,000, which we could have done although it would have been a real stretch, and she could borrow the other half. She made the call - the less-expensive option it is. A decision I fully endorse, and not only because it’s going to cost me less.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Perhaps the child’s interest evolved between application time and decision time?</p>
<p>AD…since the school doesn’t HAVE her major…what will she choose for a major?</p>
<p>In almost all cases, absolutely not.</p>
<p>But there are exceptions. In some instances, it is possible for an individual to follow their desired career path even though the college does not offer the exact undergraduate major that the student would prefer. In that case, a school that does not offer the desired major might be worth considering. </p>
<p>For example, students who plan to become veterinarians often choose undergraduate colleges that offer animal science majors because this major enables them to get experience working with large animals that is rarely available in any other major. But a degree in animal science is not essential for admission to veterinary school. A biology major would satisfy the prerequisites. If the student could find another way to get some large-animal experience – perhaps in summer jobs – it might be worth considering a college that did not have an animal science major if that college was more affordable.</p>
<p>But this is a rare exception.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I know of an instance where this happened, and the student turned down a top-20 school in favor of a lower ranked college because of it.</p>
<p>As in the example I gave above, my older DS could have gone to a LAC, BUT if he wanted to pursue engineering hed have to have done a 3-2 program, and the extra year of school would certainly have cost more than attending a school that offered engineering, where he finished in 4 years. Sometimes students can major in related areas, but they might have to pick up some complementary classes during the summer that are not offered at their school. Again, the cost of attending another school for a summer semester, the tuition, housing, mandatory fees and possible loss of income that could have come from a summer internship had he/she been a competitive student with the requisite cuirses under his/her belt could cost more thna what was saved by attending the “cheapest” school. </p>
<p>My younger s changed majors and ended up taking two classes at our flagship tech school last summer, while simultaneously doing an internship. It cost us 4k for the classes and he could have earned more if he’s worked fulltime at the internship. A friend’s child spent the summer taking classes at the local private U and spent $11k!!! :eek:</p>
<p>AD,
After all her work at that college prep HS you spoke so glowingly about, she is now going to a college that does not even offer the major she was interested in???
So what DOES she want to major in?</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>At this point, the most popular major, “undecided.” The school where she will enroll has a wide variety of excellent opportunities, and I’m confident she will find something to entice her.</p>
<p>Aside from the rare examples mentioned by Marian, it is really sad for a student to have to go to a school that they know up front doesn’t offer their desired major. They may be able to put an interdepartmental major together and piecemeal courses of interest to them, but it may be difficult to get much experience with, or exposure to the exact area of interest for them. Hopefully they will blaze a path and find their way. If not, they may be unhappy and want to transfer, and we know that financially, transfer options are often limited. So in some cases it doesn’t make sense to risk being penny wise and pound foolish.</p>
<p>No, I would not force our D to go to a school that did not offer her major. First of all, why would she apply to such a school? That would make no sense. Secondly, we would allow her to decide which school she wanted to attend.</p>
<p>Some times the kids post here about desired majors and it’s all splitting hairs/angels dancing on the head of pins kinds of discussions. You don’t have to major in “neuroscience” to study neuroscience, if you are already attending a research university with strong departments in related fields. You don’t have to major in “Ancient Civilizations” if you’re at a college with a strong Classics department, a few archeology professors who encourage interdisciplinary studies, and some grad students already doing research in Sumerian epic poetry or Egyptian funerary practices. </p>
<p>So don’t let the nomenclature interfere with the decision- some universities have deep bench strength in the areas of interest even if they don’t have an actual department or major, and as long as the university encourages and allows interdisciplinary work, the kid will be fine (and probably more than fine- lots of faculty attention, opportunities across several departments.)</p>
<p>But no, I would not have allowed my kids to attend a university which did not have their area of interest. None of my kids ended up majoring in exactly what they thought they would, but all of them were able to thoroughly explore that discipline before finding something else they loved more. One added a minor (which had been the original interest), one wrote a senior thesis which incorporated the original discipline, etc. so it’s not like they didn’t tap into the deep bench strength the universities offered. Sometimes a kid thinks he wants to be an architect until he takes his first urban planning course- and then voila- change of major. But that’s the kind of wonderful serendipity that college is all about.</p>
<p>Why do you ask?</p>
<p>Just curious…</p>
<p>Large research universities may offer the opportunities you describe, blossom. It may be harder to succeed as you describe in a small college without graduate programs/research.</p>
<p>Don’t most universities have most of the popular majors? Is this major somewhat exotic? Is the student truly committed (at this time) to that field of study?</p>
<p>College students may find their very closest friends among those in their major, simply because they all are passionate about the same subject. The profs are more likely to be mentor-types since they, too, share the student’s passion. </p>
<p>Things to keep in mind.</p>
<p>IIRC, the OP asked about colleges, not universities. Most universities will have a vast array of majors. Smaller colleges may not. Kind of reminds me about the stories of students who write in their “Why XXXX” essay about wanting to pursue a program (eg undergrad business) that the school in question doesn’t offer.</p>