<p>DS is very undecided on a major -- loves bio but does not want to go into healthcare, somewhat interested in busines, maybe would like to be a lawyer. . . I think this is fine. But it leaves me in a bit of a quandry where to start the college search.</p>
<p>Wash U in St. louis is one school where we know it is very easy to switch majors or even colleges. Rice was suggested as another. Any other suggestions? All levels of selectivity, please. He is only a sophmore, but I think it might be good to start getting some ideas. I went to a large Big 10 school where it could be difficult to move into another college once you were enrolled. I think this is more common with large schools, but DS thinks he want a school at least as big as Wash U (6,000)</p>
<p>For someone whose major is undecided, I can't decide if it is better to go to a smaller school where you would get more individual attention or to go to a large school that has lots of different majors. I am leaning toward the smaller school and DS is leaning toward the big school.</p>
<p>helping, I think you are concerned about two separate issues here: switching majors and big versus small. </p>
<p>Unless a student enters as a firstyear in a specific professional program – like business school, engineering or architecture – he will fall into the general liberal arts category. The liberal arts include math, the sciences, humanities, social studies. Most colleges and universities don’t expect students in their liberal arts programs to declare a major until sometime in the middle of their sophomore year. And even then, there is a fair amount of flexibility to change afterwards. I don’t know that the size of the university/college is a factor as much as the program that you’re transfering from or to.</p>
<p>Many students go on to graduate programs in law or business with liberal arts degrees in everything under the sun. The actual undergraduate major isn’t as critical as are grades, recommendations, scores and work experience. </p>
<p>I also went to a big ten university and my son went to a small liberal arts college. You can get a terrific education at both, but the environment and teaching styles are very different. The middle range, 6000 to 10000 students, offers a little of both. The important point is to visit and decide what’s right for him.</p>
<p>I’m concerned about starting in the Liberal Arts & Sciences College and then deciding sophomore year that you’d like to transfer to the business college at the same school, but not being able to. I know at some universities with popular business programs that this is very difficult to do. So ideally I’d like to find some med sized schools without those barriers.</p>