September 2002

Brace for lane changes on the academic major

If youíre dropping your student off at UC Davis, youíll be able to duplicate some of the experiences of Summer Advising, especially looking around the dorms and the campus, but youíll be thinking about suitcases, roommates and good-byes — not academics.

By contrast, academic messages were strong at Summer Advising, where the primary focus was registering students for classes and orienting parents about what to expect.

The message to parents was, "Buckle your seatbelts and prepare for swift changes in direction, particularly in regard to your student choosing a major." The average high-school student has only considered a very limited number of careers — usually doctor, lawyer and whatever Mom or Dad does for a living.

Shortly after arriving at UC Davis, your student will start learning about majors with intriguing names like atmospheric science, communication, and Chicana/o studies. If he or she joins clubs, attends special programs or visits advisers (perhaps with your encouragement), he or she will hear about even more. With the exception of engineering, most students have two years to choose among more than 100 majors. During that period many students change their major officially a few times and unofficially many times more.

Your student might talk to you about a different major in every phone call or, after long silence, he or she may suddenly declare a new life plan. The wise parent celebrates independent thinking, expects further changes, and doesnít hit the ceiling when a son or daughter selects something new.

Top of page

Return to previous page