<p>My son is just starting on this quest of deciding on what he wants to do and the best major to pursue and then determining which school would be best suited for his choice. </p>
<p>He is leaning towards Law or Business but still not sure so he is thinking about doing his undergraduate in engineering and then going on to business or Law. Is this a popular route? Is it a viable route? Any opinions on that route? Suggestions?</p>
<p>if your son isn't thrilled about engineering, he's going to have 4 years of hell ahead of him, especially if he's at a top notch school. I wouldn't suggest it as a "backup" major or just a route to get into law or business - pick something like economics. I'd go for engineering if your son is 100% on becomming an engineer, not a lawyer. The top engineering schools are a bit notorious for grade deflation which will certainly hurt chances for law school. </p>
<p>I had similar interests in business and law ... but, i couldn't choose which one. I picked the school of industrial and labor relations at Cornell since it's really a bit of both rolled into one major. I will be in excellent shape to go into either field after I graduate - the school places grads into law schools like it's cake and for business certain ultra-elite firms like Goldman Sachs and Mercer hold private recruitment sessions limited to only students at the ILR school. See more at ilr.cornell.edu, or explore majors such as economics, political science, english, etc.</p>
<p>Thank you. Sounds like good advice. My cousin went to Cornell and then Med school in Boston. She is a doctor in NYC and her husband teaches at NYU last I heard from them.</p>
<p>What 17 year old knows what they want to do with 100% certainty? he is perfectly normal. that why i am such a big fan of LAC. It gives you time to explore and still have a top notch degree whatever the field. Nothing worse than an ex-engineering major with a degree in mgmnt from Va Tech /NC State. Maybe he should look at the hybrid schools like Dartmouth /W&M/ Rice/Wake. Some of them have 3/2 programs with other engineering schools.</p>
<p>I suggest you and your son start by reading a book about college admissions to get an overview of the whole process and detailed info on the steps involved. One book I highly recommend is "Admission Matters" by Franck and Springer. </p>
<p>As for deciding what he wants to do, many kids figure this out in college. And a key way of doing this is thru career-related clubs and (even more importantly) internships. Even now, a summer spent delivering mail in a law firm will let him see what lawyers do day-in and day-out, and he can get a sense if that is the right job for him. In the business world internships usually lead to a job offer from the places worked, and lets kids give reasons why they'd like a particular career based on what they've already done & seen rather than just expressing an interest in it.</p>
<p>A few other things. Engineering is not a good choice if its the fallback or default plan. Without a passion for it, your son will likely not make it thru the curriculum. Dropout rates in engineering are between 1/2 and 2/3 nationwide according to an industry publication (<a href="http://tinyurl.com/buzhg);%5B/url%5D">http://tinyurl.com/buzhg);</a> one of the surest ways I know to be a part of that statistic is to major in engineering with the idea that its just a placeholder unless you decide on something else.</p>
<p>Second, he does not need to know his major now. There are a few exceptions; to get accepted into a major in the arts you usually need to audition or submit a portfolio so you need to know that prior to starting college. Engineering is another major in which you usually need to start as a frosh. But if he was interested in these he'd already know.</p>
<p>Third, go away from the forum until you've read a book about college admissions and have the big picture in mind. Seriously!! For example, Gomestar recommends Cornell; a wonderful school, I know people who went there and loved it. But selecting the right college is not just about finding one with a rep for placing its grads successfully; there are lots of schools that do that. Selecting a college means finding one of the size you want, located in a setting (urban, rural, etc) you'd enjoy, enrolling the type of kids you want to be around, with the class size you're looking for, the advising system in place that you're comfortable with, a career center offering the services you're looking for, lots of kids participating in free-time activities you'd enjoy, at a cost you can afford, and so on. </p>
<p>Maybe Cornell is such a place for your son; it sure sounds like it is for gomestar, but gomestar is not your son. So until you've learned the foundations of the college search process and then identified what matters for your son, the names people throw out are just random blips that may or may not be a fit. You can be satisfied with that and hope someone tosses out the right name (although I'm not even sure how you'd recognize the right ones if you haven't set up criteria to judge them), or you can do this more systematically. Given what's at stake, I recommend the latter ...</p>
<p>I would not recommend engineering for a would be lawyer. The grad inflation just doesn't compensate for the difficulty. The major depends on the quality of the school and its overall reputation. My advice is go to a top 20 and major in econ, this will keep many doors open without being deflatory.</p>
<p>Mike, that is a great post. Let me tell you a little about him. He has a lazy streak, wants to do as little as needed to acquire the desired results. Given this he still has a 4.0 UW with several AP and honors classes. He got a 32 ACT. SAT was disappointing but I imagine that will improve next time. He stayed out till 1 am and no prep on the first attempt. Things come pretty natural without much effort. Reason I tried to push West Point. </p>
<p>He wants to go to a prestigious school but I am not willing to pay 50g a year for it. No need based aid. He does like the big city. We did a road trip last summer where we went from KY to LA, up the coast to San Fran and back home. We spent a few days in San Fran and drove though Stanfords Campus. He right then changed his choice from Harvard to Stanford. Not realistic but his 1st choice. </p>
<p>Maybe I am feeling more pressure than he is. He just doesnt seem like he is even tackling the issue even though its the last half of his junior year. Should I just back off and leave him alone ? I am just afraid he will put it off till the last minute like he does everything else. </p>
<p>The LAC may be the right choice so he can gain some basic skills while maturing.</p>
<p>"He has a lazy streak, wants to do as little as needed to acquire the desired results. "</p>
<p>Brown and UPenn fit the bill ;)</p>
<p>based on what you've said in your posts, maybe check out the following schools: UC Berkeley, Brown, Penn, Columbia, USC, UCLA, UMichigan, Rice, Vanderbilt, Emory, Northwestern, Georgetown. </p>
<p>These are just suggestions. Any school will do regardless of what major your son does (or doesn't) pick. </p>
<p>"Should I just back off and leave him alone ?"</p>
<p>don't back off from looking at colleges and exploring what type of college/environment your son wants, though i wouldn't worry about picking a major right now. Based on your posts, your son sounds like he may jump majors before graduating from college - if this is the case, forget about majors and look for solid well-rounded colleges that offer alot and fit the bill for everything else your son is looking for (location, size, reputation, price, etc).</p>
<p>The Fiske Guide has a good overview of the different universities. You might check with your local university to see if they have programs in the summer for gifted students.(UC Berkeley does). My D took a law class during a summer session. They were taught at Boalt, and for their final had to defend "their client" before a sitting judge in SF. Great "hands-on" experience.</p>
<p>Thanks for the input. WE talked tonight about looking at schools that cover a broader spectrum of curriculum to accommodate the likelihood of change. </p>
<p>I think he is like a deer in the headlights right now, No less than 50 schools have sent him unsolicited mail.</p>
<p>^Yeah, I know that feeling!</p>
<p>What I regret about my college search, though, is focusing way too much on schools that look "pretty", that seem "exciting" and were decent academically for the majors I was interested in. I wasn't honest with myself when I thought about social fit. I think you can get a great education anywhere, truly. Many schools offer a wide variety of majors. The real question is, where would you be most happy? Not where the perfect, outgoing, fantasy you would be most happy, but where the real, quirky, passionate you would fit in just right. From THERE you can think about majors, strength in field, law school placement, etc.</p>
<p>Some advice for later:</p>
<p>My mom wanted to go to law school for ages. After four years, she graduated from William and Mary with a degree in economics, deciding she didn't want to go to law school after all. Luckily she got a job, but it was her math minor that secured her a position at a consulting firm, not the economics degree.</p>
<p>My advice is to choose something you are interested in, would teach you to think critically, but also has practical applications. If your son wouldn't mind being a businessman, I think a major in a business school would be a great option. Me, I'm thinking about doing an international relations w/ a concentration in third world development/environmental studies and journalism double major, which I know will leave me with the experience to go into a career I enjoy (although not necessarily a guarunteed good salary...haha) or on to law school.</p>
<p>chuchdvc</p>
<p>I posted a similar question to yours on the 'parents forum' and received many kind and informative replies--too many to summarize here. You might want to go over and check out all the good advice, there.</p>
<p>Good luck!</p>
<p>Thank you. </p>
<p>I did offer him my advice also that if he went the economics route that he should try a double major of economics and accounting. Accounting is a good background for business or law. Of course thats what I majored in. Several of my friends went on to MBA and Law programs.</p>
<p>There's some info on another thread here about good undergrad degrees to prepare for law--generally, the conclusion is there is no such degree!</p>
<p>I'm a lawyer---my lawschool classmates majored in everything from chemistry to English---what they took undergrad had no bearing on how they did in school. In fact, some of the students w/seemingly unrelated majors (hard sciences) did exceptionally well. The main thing was that you should like the idea of being a lawyer. :-)</p>
<p>I appreciate the tip on the other thread it was very informative. </p>
<p>He did seem a little relieved when we talked about this, it sort of opened up his options. It relieved the pressure to nail down a specific path now.</p>
<p>A Stanford professor talked about law and business degrees, he emphasized that those people going into those areas should be sure and take philosophy...</p>
<p>chuck, Welcome. Plunging into the college search and application process is overwhelming. The good news is that you've come to the right place for sound and varied advice -- both macro and micro.</p>
<p>It's sounds to me like your son's wishlist is fairly open ended. This is a good thing, but at the same time it helps to try to narrow in a bit on general categories, then build vertically (reach/match/safety) on those categories.</p>
<p>For example if he knows he wants big and urban he might look at Columbia/Boston U/Your State U. Or if he knows he wants small/urban try a combination like Swarthmore/Macalester/Rhodes. The idea is to focus on college types then find varying degrees of selectivity within the general personalities.</p>
<p>Aside from engineering, which is very specific, I wouldn't worry about choosing a major or career path just yet. He sounds like a bright kid; once he settles on an area of interest he'll do well and ultimately get into a graduate program appeals to him. </p>
<p>You can get into law or medical school with just about any major, but you do need good grades and good recommendations both of which are more likely if you're happy and well adjusted to your undergraduate experience.</p>
<p>Right now the focus should be on finding the right fit: size, ambience, culture, then, AGAIN I STRESS, finding a range of selectivity that fits the fit.</p>
<p>You mention that your family would not qualify for need based aid and that you're not thrilled with the idea of paying 50 grand for a private eduation.</p>
<p>This is the MOST important issue to get your arms around. If there's no need based aid and no self-pay, then the only choices are State U or merit aid. (And of course an athletic scholarship, but I'd think you would have mentioned if that were a possibility.)</p>
<p>State U is a good choice for those who live in states with good U's. Merit aid (also called scholarships) is a wonderful way to get to finance your child's education, but it ain't easy to secure and the most elite/selectives (like Stanford and the ivy league for example) don't offer it.</p>
<p>Go immediately to the thread at the top of the Parents Forum entitled "Schools known for good merit aid" and start the learning process. </p>
<p>Establishing a realistic understanding of your financial restrictions is the most critical first step to take. Secondly, I would say understanding the importance of selecting a solid safety school, no matter what your son's credentials may be. Sometimes these two factors intertwine: you may need financial safety as well as an admissions safety.</p>
<p>PS, Don't back off and leave him alone, no matter how frustrating it gets in trying to motivate the unresponsive. Some kids take longer than others to take ownership for the college application process and we parents just have to nudge them along. It is a very complicated process.</p>
<p>Good luck and let us know how you do.</p>
<p>He got a letter in the mail today. Can some of you give me an idea if it means anything. It was from Yale and it said they were interested in him for football. It had a sheet of paper they wanted him to fill out and return. IS this just one of 20,000 or more they send out fishing? It also said that they offer scholarships on a need basis only so if you can afford to pay no athletic scholarship. </p>
<p>The football route just hasnt really been an option since the team he is on hasnt won a varsity game for the last 3 years. Even though he has started since a freshman. His senior year they will probably win some games since the younger kids are now seniors but they will no way be the team on the news every friday night. </p>
<p>He wants to play football and had intended to try as a walk on where ever he went. I would rather pay for a good education (just not at a need only 50g school) then him go for a scholarship and waste his academic ability.</p>
<p>my friend wanted to take the same route, and he did a major in business economics (which was offered at his school) and a minor in poly sci.</p>
<p>that way when he got to law school, he had the best of both worlds.</p>
<p>he now is studying at georgetown law school, and he wants to do business law (which your son could consider, it should be a merge of his interests)</p>
<p>No input helping to decipher the significance of the Yale letter?</p>