Talk to an advisor (9 AM-9 PM EST): 866-442-6062

Talk to an advisor (9 AM-9 PM EST): 866-925-2803

Featuring Karen S. Parker, director of admissions, Hampshire College (Amherst, MA)

Q: My friends all know what they want to Major in. Is it OK to apply to a college if I don't know what I want to study?

A: Yes, absolutely. The typical college offers hundreds, possibly thousands, of courses. With so many options and opportunities, how could you know exactly what you want to study until you see it, experience it, and try it out?

Think of college not just as preparation for a Career, but as an experience designed to help you explore new ideas and form an understanding of yourself and others. You'll be exposed to subjects, people, and experiences that challenge your intellect and stretch your imagination, leading you in all sorts of unforeseen directions. Colleges realize the majority of entering students will change their minds about their intended field of study after they have been in school for a while. Even those students who are confident they know what they want to study frequently discover other fields and subjects that interest them more.

Colleges are set up to allow you to explore new ideas. Many liberal arts colleges in particular are designed to open your eyes to fascinating areas and problems you may never have thought about seriously. That is why almost all colleges ask students to study a variety of subject areas during their first year or two, before choosing an area of specialization. At Hampshire College, for example, every first-year student chooses a course in each of the five different academic areas of thought, represented by our five schools. This broad background then provides a solid foundation as students make choices about which specific topics to pursue as they advance through college.

The exact field or fields you study while in college may prove to be less important in preparing you for adult life than what you learn about how to solve problems, how to find answers, how to communicate with others, and how to work with others. You'll also grow in self-understanding and self-discipline, and discover that your interests change over your lifetime -- which they should. You were born into a changing world and it's not going to stop changing. Openness to many different topics is a wonderful attribute to carry forward through life, as it is essential to continue learning. Be proud of your openness! You will need to continue to be aware of and receptive to ideas developing not only in the field you choose to study but also in other fields.

Don't limit your focus just to the classroom; personal interests and extracurricular activities should also be important parts of your college selection process and experience. They'll help shape the lens through which you see the world, and also help you find out what you want to do with your life, and what you'll study. Years from now, looking back at your College Experience, you'll be surprised at what you still feel fascinated by and what you've left behind you. You should consider your college experience successful if it helps you to continue to learn throughout your life.

More than half the students entering Hampshire College who say they are going to study in a particular area end up studying something else. Hampshire not only encourages students to use their four years as undergraduates to explore, we take that freedom a step further. We trust students to be able to design their own programs of study, working closely with faculty mentors, without set expectations of established majors. We encourage students to be bold and adventurous. No matter what college you choose to attend, I would challenge you to embrace the spirit of intellectual adventure.

Be confident that you will find your path, even if it's not immediately apparent. If you approach college with an attitude of exploration and intellectual curiosity, you will likely cease to worry about finding one field to study and instead become excited about selecting from among the limitless possibilities.

Sound Off! Post Your Comments