Education Verve 

Majors
Some colleges expect you to know immediately what your major will be, while others allow you to choose after you’ve been a student at the college for some time and have a better idea of which path is for you. However, you still have to choose eventually and, even then, you might change it.

Ways to help you choose a major

• Take a test to help you find a major suited for you based on your interests. Take a career pathway test to see what career might be suited for you.

• Think about what is important to you for a future career such as financial earnings and finding a meaningful career that is interesting and engaging.

• Think about if you want an advanced degree like a MD, PhD, MBA, or law degree after graduation and what majors are in line to apply for those degrees. 

• Think about the demand for a major in the job market, pay, and your interest in it. Generally careers in medicine, business administration and STEM-related fields offer the highest annual salaries, while careers in social sciences, arts and humanities pay the lowest salaries. The demand for majors in different subjects will vary with hiring trends, industry growth and other employment factors. Currently students who earn degrees in business and STEM-related fields are considered the most in-demand to employers. 

 

Most in-demand majors
Business
Computer science and information technology
Engineering
Health sciences
Math and statistics
Communications
Science
Education

 

College choices

There are thousands of colleges to choose from including private, public, online, and community. College search guide
 

Factors to help you decide on a college

campus size

campus location

college's ranking

college's reputation

costs

courses and majors offered
 

How to learn more about a college

research the college online

watch video or online virtual tours of its campus

visit a college's campus in person

talk to alumni and current students and faculty of a college

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Ivy League colleges

Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut

Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey

University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Cornell University, Ithaca, New York

Columbia University, New York, New York

Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire

Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island

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High-ranking US colleges

University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts

Stanford University, Stanford, California

Duke University, Durham, North Carolina

California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California

John Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland

Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois

Rice University, Houston, Texas

Vanderbilty University, Nashville, Tennessee

University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana

Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, University

Georgetown University, Washington, DC

Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia

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Best US public colleges

University of California Berkeley, Berkeley, California

University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California

University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia

University of Michigan Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor, Michigan

University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, Virginia

Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia

University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, California

University of California Irvine, Irvine, California

University of San Diego, La Jolla, California

University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida

University of California Davis, Davis, California

University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, Wisconsin

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Online colleges
With the increasing popularity of online education, prospective college students may want to consider going to an online college. There are some differences between online colleges and traditional colleges to think about to help with their decision. The main difference is the setting. At traditional colleges, students go to a physical classroom in order to learn material from an instructor. At an online college, students learn by accessing the material through an internet website. An online college allows students the opportunity to study from the comfort and privacy of their home or some other remote location. Many students prefer this learning setting. Another difference is that online colleges give students more flexibility in their schedule. An online college student does not have to be in a physical classroom during predetermined periods of time. An online college student can take quizzes or exams at a time convenient for them. This flexible schedule is often suited for students who have jobs, families, and other responsibilities. Online and traditional colleges differ in the interaction of students with their peers. Students who attend online and offline universities both have the opportunity to interact with other students, but the type of social interaction in the online setting is  different than what goes on in physical classrooms. Online students interact with one another via internet message boards, chat rooms, and e-mail. Social interaction in the traditional college setting can occur at many locations on campus like the dining area, library, or in the hallways of a building. Another consideration is how an online degree is perceived in the eyes of prospective employers. Employers often consider three factors when determining if an online degree was substantive: accreditation, a physical campus, and an established brand. If you are trying to select an online college for yourself, consider choosing one that has these attributes so it would be most advantageous for you.

 

Top online colleges that also have a physical campus

Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania

George Washington University, Washington, D.C.

Pace University, New York City, New York

University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida

Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado

Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona

Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia

Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon

University of Massachusetts, Lowell, Massachusetts
University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida
Bellevue University, Bellevue, Nebraska

 

Community colleges

Community colleges are public, two-year schools that provide another education option, whether you're considering an associate degree, a certificate program, technical training, or plan to continue your studies at a four-year college.