Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Fueled by Future Self Paper
I found an article that can directly apply to the paper we are working on writing. The article is called "College freshman face major dilemma" by Gayle B. Ronan and is at this link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10154383/ns/business-personal_finance/t/college-freshmen-face-major-dilemma/#.T0Mrp9WGgpo
The article talks about how many people do not know the major that they intend to go into and that it can cause some major problems. Some the of the problems is that it is taking students longer to graduate therefore they are spending more money in order to receive their degree. A problem for universities is that these students take up spots for the amount of new students they can let in. The article also discusses the steps that can be taken in order to help students be more decisive and choose a major that they will enjoy so they will not be tempted to change majors and graduate within four years.
Let me know what you guys think. Do you think that indecisive students are a good or bad thing? What do you suggest that colleges do in order to prevent students from changing majors? Do you think that Dr. Fritz Grupe test or Kate Brooks test is more effective in determining what major a student should choose? And now that you know some of these statistics do you think it is fair to ask us to write about our future?
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Sorry guys I am not a computer guru so I have no clue how to make that thing a link but just copy in paste it in your URL.
ReplyDeletePersonally speaking I'm a very indecisive student. I still have no idea what I want to be so I'm just choosing a major that can potentially let me go into different areas and do different things. Therefore, I see the problem with indecisive students and how they're taking up future spots, but they're also giving colleges money so I don't think colleges can really complain. I feel like it's better to figure out when we're young though, because the older you get and the unhappier you are the harder it is to go back. They're are a good amount of 50 year old's in my Econ class right now aren't they considered to be indecisive?
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I think colleges should let students decide on their own. If they try and push you out the more unhappier a student will be in the future of their workplace. Honestly, I think there will always be kids who are indecisive like me. It stinks and I wouldn't want the University to be pushing me to major in something that I didn't want. Also, I HATE thinking about my future, because I don't even know what I want to do today. So I say no, but it's cool to think about sometimes and just be able to write and see where I'll end up one day!
I think indecisive students are a bad thing, because it may lead to future indecisiveness when it comes to other important decisions. Colleges should be offering students advice and help guide them into selecting a major. I don't think that Dr. Fritz Grupe test or Kate Brooks test are very effective. But if I had to pick, I think Kate's would be more effective. The fact that her test is performed in real life gives it more weight than taking a survey online. Lastly, I do think it is fair to have us write about our future. Even if things might not turn out how we expected, its always good to set goals for yourself.
ReplyDeleteThis article is very relevant to my own college career because I am still in University Studies. I don't think being undecided is a bad thing because it gives a student time to look at other majors and figure out if they are a good fit or not. I also think going in undecided is a lot easier than going in decided and ending up changing your majors. I think that pathway is very stressful and leads students to be stuck in a career path in which they do not want to pursue. I think colleges do a good job in helping students transition if they decide to change their majors because it is something that a majority of students do in their college career.
ReplyDeleteRight now, I do not think it is fair for me to be in a position to write a paper about my future plan/career. I honestly have no idea, and I know I am going to end up completely making up a fake pathway for myself. Asking a college freshman what they want to do for the rest of their life is not an easy task to take on.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with offering tips for students to help them pick their major. After looking at some of the tips from the article I think there are some really goods like using campus advisors and the majors don’t necessarily mean careers. My mom graduating expecting to go into teaching English instead she ended up in the business world. Likewise, one major may offer numerous jobs. But I also don’t think there is a problem with indecisiveness. Personally I don’t know if I like something until I try it. That’s one reason I like Virginia Tech; VT offers so many majors that you can try out many different paths until you find the one that clicks. If it is our time and money going into the university, I think it is their responsibility to allow us to change our minds and to make sure we end up happy with our decision.
DeleteI think another thing to consider is if I choose a major that I don’t like and then start a career in that field, what will motivate me to well in that career? Wouldn’t that hurt the economy and society more than if I spent more time making sure I made the right decision?
Economically, I think indecisive students are bad things because the more time you spend in college the more you have to take out in college loans and eventually pay off. However, college is the best time to try and figure out what you want to do for a career so haphazardly making such an important decision might harm you in the long run. I think Virginia Tech has a very good system that limits the number of students changing majors. Because each department has a general course list for freshmen, we get to experience a little of what the sub-divisions within a department does so we can make a more informed decisions when selecting a major. Also, Virginia Tech has requirements established to ensure that you will be academically successful before you can switch into a given major. I think Grupe’s test is more effective because it gives kids a very general idea of what major they should look into. While, Brooks’ test might not result in a define direction like if a kid picked a cooking magazine, a video game magazine, and a car magazine all those options are very far apart and might not result in a clear outcome. When it comes to thinking and writing about our future we have to do it eventually and writing this paper about it might help us come to a helpful conclusion.
ReplyDeleteI came into Tech with the intention of being a Human, Nutrition, Foods, and Exercise major. This is my second semester here and I am already changing majors. I was given assignments in several of my classes that forced me to research potential careers in that field. All through high school I planned on having a job in this field, but after my first semester here and after experiencing the type of classes I would be taking, I realized it wasn't for me. I am currently trying to change majors. This doesn't mean that I am indecisive just because I want to change majors. I researched the other options I had here and found something much more suitable for myself that I felt I would enjoy. I think it's fine for people to be unsure of what major they want. Figuring out what you want to do with your life is part of the college experience. A lot of students are unaware of numerous opportunities they have until they are actually in college and it's more of a reality.
ReplyDeleteI think it's completely fair to be asked to write a paper about our future. As I began to look for information about my potential job, I realized how well-suited it actually is for me. It forces you to evaluate and research opportunities that you may not have done otherwise.
I also fall into the category of being indecisive. Economically it's going to hurt me in the long run; not being able to choose a major until my second year. Any program I am interested in is a four year program at least and then some require getting a master's. Although this paper doesn't seem fair to write since the majority of us are still undecided, maybe not on our majors, but our careers, this is a great opportunity to explore a possibility of our future. With this, I do not think that people who are in university studies are taking up places for possible students that could take our place with an already decided major. We earned our place here and credits are credits which will help you in the future of your college.
ReplyDeleteI think the problem has a lot to do with high school. Throughout high school students are required to take core classes but really aren't exposed to many classes having to do with our possible future majors. By the time they get to college, many students aren't prepared to make a decision on what major to go in as, because they aren't aware of what majors suit them. High schools should include more introductory classes to a variety of majors so students can get a feel for what they enjoy by the time they get to college. Colleges do a good job at offering a variety of classes but it may be nice to offer separate programs that suggest good introductory classes to students based on what they're good at.
ReplyDeleteI know as well as everyone else that it is difficult to choose a major when thinking about your future and career. It is a bit overwhelming to think that the one decision you make now has the power to change every aspect of your future life. Your choice determines who you will meet, where you will live, and ultimately your financial success is on the line. With that being said, it does not surprise me at all that students are having a more difficult time declaring a major. It may have several negative effects as stated in the article but I believe that some decisions cannot be rushed. This decision has a lot riding on it so I believe that it is a good thing for students to change their major if they are unhappy.
ReplyDeleteI am one of the indecisive students. I currently am in the University Studies major. The advisors at Virginia Tech were very helpful for me to decide on what major I think that I would like to do. I do not think that it is a bad thing for students to be indecisive because many people do not know what they want to do right out of high school. If someone is not happy with what they are doing I do not think that they should stay in that major. If you are doing something you do not like while you are in college, than you will not like it when you are doing it for the rest of your life.
ReplyDeleteI could relate to this topic as I am extremely indecisive as a student. Since I am currently stuck having University Studies as a major, I do worry about what I should major in. My ideas for majors changes day to day and I often feel that no matter what major I pursue, I would still feel unsatisfied. My personal feelings, about spending more than four years pursuing a B.S. in whatever major that I have declared myself in, is that I would feel guilty about my parents spending more money than they have to due to my own indecisiveness.
ReplyDeleteKate Brooks’ test on helping students realize what they want to pursue would be more helpful in my own case. Surveys often are a chore to fill out and the results that I usually receive are results that I feel don’t describe my ideal aspirations of what I want to future to hold for me. So picking out three magazines that cover topics that I would be interested in is less tedious and more about personal interests.
I still think it is fair to people to tell us to write about our future. Planning out a paper about what we feel the future may hold for us is a great way to learn about what we want people in the future to know about our interests and values.
I believe that to some extent we all have an indecisive nature. In terms of the college life, some sense of direction is needed in order to really have any success at all in the future career of choice. Taking into account that we all are indecisive to some extent, Grupe's test would give students a certain or general path to follow. All things in life need moderation, i dont think we should have no idea what our future entails , and i do not think we should have every detail of the next fifty years planned. It is completely fair to write about the future, in the sense that it is in the college stage where we transition from young adults into professionals in our unique careers. It would be unreasonable to ask for every detailed to be followed as planned, because nothing in life is really in our control.
ReplyDeleteIndecisive students are both a good thing and a bad thing. It's a bad thing for students in college because if they spend more time in college, they'd be losing money but it's also a good thing in that they find something that they truly want to do. Not every student comes into college knowing what they want to do in life so it is to be expected. To be fair, everyone is a little indecisive in life. No one truly knows what they truly want. I think that the test is completely fair and helpful because it would help them pick a major earlier and save money
ReplyDeleteI think changing majors a lot is a completely natural thing. Many of my friends who are further along in college have changed majors two or three times and still aren't certain what they want to do. I think that discovering what you want to spend the rest of your life doing is an integral part of college, and trial and error is an essential component of that discovery.
ReplyDeleteI personally have no clue what I want to work at. Well ok, not so much as that, I more or less know the direction I want to head in, however I still wouldn't sign any contracts. Students who take their time to consider more options are a perfectly normal case. Also I feel as if most of the students that directly declare majors do it for the wrong reasons. Perhaps because their parent wanted them too or they're just thinking about the money. This is a decision I must make myself, what is the best preparation I can receive here and the way in which to get it, and Im taking my time.
ReplyDeleteWe are all around 18 years old. How can you expect someone who is 18 to decide what they want to do for the rest of their lives? you can have a idea of what your interests are but when it comes down to it people can change what they want to do all the time. It isn't a bad thing though its just a part of life.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I don’t care whether a student is indecisive or not. As long as the school is getting paid the tuition and fees, I don’t think the university or anyone should care how long it takes to graduate. It’s the fault of the student and the responsibility of the student to make up their mind. In the end you want to choose a major that will be fulfilling for you, so you should make sure it is the right major before you graduate.
ReplyDeleteOn another note I also believe that writing this paper is more than fair. This paper, although may be hard for someone to write that is undecided on a career or major, will allow the student to start thinking about what they may want to pursue. So in my opinion this is a good time and a perfect opportunity to discover what you want to do with your life.