<p>That’s a really interesting question. I know unalove (and one of my kids) has used CAPS pretty extensively, but not for that purpose. Both my mother and my wife have made extensive use of Myers-Briggs in the workplace, but never for something like deciding what things interest you. Myers-Briggs may have something to say about whom an organization should choose as CEO, but generally it is a tool to help figure out how you can best relate to other people in your field, not which field you ought to be in.</p>
<p>Every student at Chicago has an advisor assigned to him, and that is probably a good place to start. If your son has previously expressed an interest in professional school, he probably also has a relationship with the pre-med, -law, or -business advisor, too; or if he’s thinking about those fields he ought to talk to the relevant advisor. Faculty in areas that interest him can be helpful, and upperclassmen in those majors can give him an idea of what they are doing (and what their recent-graduate friends are doing) in the career-path department. If he is living in a dorm, his house’s RH may also be a source of good adult advice from someone who knows him.</p>
<p>That said, I think it’s pretty unusual to pick a major on a blank slate based on advice from someone. Most students have a sense of what interests them, what they want to spend time on, where they like the faculty and other students, etc. And I think that most people at Chicago (and elsewhere) will tell students that choice of major is relatively unrelated to choice of career – you can almost always plot a course from Point A to Point B if you know what Point B is. </p>
<p>For me, the value of a major is that it forces students to acquire some depth in what they learn – to show that they know what depth is, and how to get it. That experience is an integral part of “learning to learn”, which the student can apply to anything else he does. It’s not anything like a permanent choice of how to spend one’s life (although it may well reflect character-based interests that ARE permanent).</p>
<p>JHS - I mentioned Myers-Briggs because it is one of the tools mentioned on the CAPS website. S thought he might like philosophy (as I did in college) and then perhaps law school after that but he’s frustrated when he feels he’s not getting better grades on papers and exams. I called CAPS and they are open this week and since he’s still in his dorm, he said he would call for an appointment to explore interests. My advice to him was what my adviser told me many years ago - the purpose of a liberal arts education is to find out what you are interested in, what you are good at. It didn’t come together for me until year 3 of a 5 year undergrad experience. I did advised him to select any major he wanted but to think about graduate school or professional school to help him earn a living.</p>
<p>I’d second CAPS, but also mention that S1 has gotten the most useful advice from departmental advisors. I know they have them in the Physical Sciences division, not sure about other areas, but it may be worth a shot.</p>
<p>Though neither of my Chicago kids ended up majoring in what they had thought they would when they applied, they both came to Sociology after taking a course from a professor who inspired them. My S focused on urban sociology and related issues and is now in Law School and my D, a 3rd year, has a real interest in education and immigration with no real idea where that will take her. My other S, a Wash U grad, was convinced he would be a Philosophy major. Three semesters in he realized that the field was not really for him, and certainly did not play to his strengths. He had always been fascinated by history and how things have evolved. One anthropology class, again with an inspiring professor, sealed the deal. He graduated as an anthro major, spent a summer digging in Uzbekistan, and realized he was not cut out to be Indiana Jones. He’s now working for a talent agency. But he is well educated, has honed his analytical skills and will, I’m sure, find his path. I’m convinced, based on our experiences and those of friends, that unless a student is a dedicated pre-something, their passions are often ignited based on a class or a professor. And while the specific discipline may not lend itself to an obvious career or life path, the skills learned are invaluable and applicable to most of life. </p>
<p>I can’t say the advisors at Chicago, either the dedicated academic advisors or those at CAPS were helpful in determining my kids’ ultimates paths. Once they settled on a major, however, those in their department of choice - professors, grad students and support staff alike, provided to be invaluable resources. CAPS was somewhat helpful in the resume, internship, job department. From a parent perspective I think I’d talk to him over vacation about what courses have ignited real interest, what would he really like to learn more about.</p>
<p>Myers-Briggs is an interesting tool. It was developed by folks that were, to put it mildly, testing amateurs, and seems to be lacking adequate proof of validity and reliability. One web source says:
</p>
<p>That said, it can be a fun test to take, and the results can lead to some interesting discussions. Just don’t take the results as signifying anything deep.</p>
<p>Regarding advice on majors, I’m not sure why this should even be a concern, other than the frustration that a kid might suffer from not knowing the answers to life’s critical questions, as if we adults can do any better. After all, how many of us parents are doing anything that relates to our college majors?</p>
<p>Thanks for all the comments. We will get together this weekend, have a few beers and talk about it. He has made an appointment with CAPS and has an appointment to speak to a Law School professor today. I am well aware of the limitations of tests like Myers-Briggs but I look at it as a tool to begin a conversation and self reflection. Interestingly, CAPS recommends: “Do What You Are: Discover the Perfect Career for You Through the Secrets of Personality Type”, Paul D. Tieger; based on results of Myers-Briggs testing. I knew what I wanted to do since age 7 and pursued it relentlessly until I achieved my goal. I very much understand that it is seldom this way for most people.</p>
<p>Well, I think if you read carefully it is suggesting that MB will help you understand your own decision-making process, and its strengths and weaknesses, and thus help you figure out how to make better decisions of any sort. It could just as easily have been “Using MBTI to help you choose which house to buy.” I don’t think that majors (or neighborhoods) and MB personality types are supposed to correlate in any way.</p>
<p>As I said above, my wife has used MB fairly extensively in the office she leads. For her, it has three functions: a fun teambuilding activity that helps people understand how they relate to one another; occasionally a diagnostic tool to figure out why some combinations of people work less well than others, and to figure out how to improve their group functioning; and as a reminder that the office works better when multiple personality types are represented, and that she has to make certain to include people who AREN’T completely on her wavelength. She would never say “Oh, this person is an ESFP, so she shouldn’t do X.”</p>
<p>First, having a major identity crisis in second year is really normal. It’s a good thing, IMO. I had one and turned into a completely different human being (single to double major, humanities to social sciencey humanities).</p>
<p>Here’s my suggestion:</p>
<p>S should make a list of what he did and did not like about the books he has read in classes so far. For me, the yea list of core books was everything in hum minus philosophy, and everything in sosc minus Adam Smith. I realized that philosophy was not my cup of tea and that economics was dead boring to me (something later confirmed with Econ 198.)</p>
<p>It’s so tempting to say you’re a major instead of undecided. Being undecided feels like it sucks, even though there’s more than enough time to complete any major or two S desires, and more than enough time to double-count the courses he has already taken. If your S is looking to call himself a major for the sake of calling himself a major, and if law school is an interest, then I would think either history or political science would be a good fit for a major. </p>
<p>Realize that majors are REALLY flexible. Your S could easily focus on intellectual history and study the historical/cultural contexts of philosophers, or S could focus on political philosophy. Or S could get carried away by Kohlberg’s theory of moral development and the philosophical underpinning of psychology, or…</p>
<p>It’s true. Almost everyone I know has had some kind of identity crisis, and it usually occurs in the second year. Personally, I transformed from a hardcore math major into a slightly less hardcore Math/East Asian Studies double major. Also, my post-graduation plan to head straight to grad school transformed into a plan to spend a few years teaching English in Japan while working on a novel and trying to decide which PhD to pursue.</p>
<p>I did rather like the old human being, or at least her internet presence. But then, I didn’t notice when she transformed into a completely different social-sciencey/humanities double something. So maybe all is not lost.</p>
<p>Is the social-sciencey/humanities double something anything like a werewolf or a vampire? Or Taylor Swift? That would be cool, and trendy, too. Did your Myers-Briggs personality type change?</p>
<p>I also missed phuriku’s utter transformation from a hardcore Math person with a faux-Japanese screen name to a slightly less hardcore Math/EAS person, but somehow that strikes me as maybe falling short of the “completely different human being” standard.</p>
<p>I’m really glad to hear from you guys again now that exams are over.</p>
<p>Anyone have any recommendations regarding off campus housing at UChicago? Best locations, worst managment companies, etc? My S will be a 3rd year next year and wants to share a place with 2 friends.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Everyone hates MAC, but so what? They have a near-monopoly, so you have to deal with them, or at least consider the possibility.</p></li>
<li><p>There are no “best locations”. Everything is a trade-off, and will largely be factored into price. In general, you pay to be close to campus, but the most expensive places are in highrises along the lake, with in-building health clubs, extensive security, and private shuttles to campus. Some people want to be as close to the Reg or the gym as possible, others like being close to stores, or to the 6 bus or the Metra to get downtown easily. Places south of the campus are much cheaper than places north of it (and places west of the campus would probably be cheaper still if anyone were willing to live there).</p></li>
<li><p>Your son should be talking to the fourth-years he knows. Find out about nice places that will be coming open, and go after them.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>^ agreed. Word of mouth is by far the best way to go. One person’s palace may be anothers dump. I also understand that a common way to get into some of the best properties is to replace someone who is leaving, because renewal leases usually get priority.</p>
<p>My son found a great apartment close to campus in a building where many faculty live as well. The price is not too bad, he has his own one-bedroom and it is not a MAC apartment. He searched newspapers, internet, and word-of-mouth to come up with it. Others have successfully used local discussion forums such as LiveJournal ([UChicago</a> LiveJournal Community](<a href=“http://community.livejournal.com/uchicago/]UChicago”>UChicago LiveJournal Community — LiveJournal)) don’t know if I’m allowed to post it, but it is not a college discussion forum.</p>
<p>My son lives in a MAC owned-property a few blocks north of campus. It’s actually quite nice, and not too expensive (he shares with 2 other boys and he pays $450/m plus utilities). It has a granite island in the kitchen, dishwasher, gas range, hardwood floors–much nicer than anything I stayed in as a student. He hasn’t mentioned any landlord problems.</p>