What should I study for the next four years? Nearly every college-bound high school senior struggles to answer this question. It seems impossible to take the educational background from high school and select a specific field of study that will ultimately decide one’s entire career path and the life that coincides with a job. With 40 hours a week, over 2,000 hours a year and about 90,000 hours over the course of one’s working life, it comes as no surprise that many students change their major or are undecided going into college.
Each year, students have to commit to conducting in-depth research regarding specific programs and future possible careers as part of the college application process. After this commitment to both a school and a field of study, there are some majors that stick out as the most common within Green Hope’s graduating class.
Business – 27%
Wall Street, New York City might be the dream destination for some of Green Hope’s future business majors, but business as a field of study actually covers a wide variety of future careers that not only typically generate successful individuals but also allow for incredible opportunities to move up within companies or transition from companies across multiple fields. With a business degree, students leave college much more confident in their networking abilities and soft skills, which can translate into a range of roles from small restaurant business owner to major tech firm CEO, and everything in between.
Most schools that offer business majors are separated into concentrations that offer clusters of courses within a business major or business school for students to attain a more specific degree. Concentrations range from accounting and finance to entrepreneurship and marketing to administration and management.
Those with a financial concentration are likely most interested in working in banking or financial consulting and advising, which all require knowledge on various investment practices, simple financial transaction tracking or calculations and a strong comprehension of financial literacy. While these fields typically pay six figures, it is important to consider the mathematical presence and major time commitment to work, which usually expands over 40 hours a week due to client meetings and stock market hours.
For a management or marketing concentration, social skills are stressed over the acquisition of tangible knowledge. In these fields, learning to both work with and lead diverse groups of people is incredibly important for career success, especially as one’s role blossoms throughout years of experience. While the lack of hard skills might be attractive within this major, be aware of the social battery one must have to endure weeks at a time of meeting with clients, holding employees accountable, and networking at all times.
Pre med/health – 22%
The second most popular discipline at Green Hope is not actually a specific major, but rather a group of majors that lead to similar career paths. Pre medical studies (as well as multiple health majors) are typically defined as the pre-med track, regardless of what major students specify. While it is incredibly common for students to major in biology, chemistry or physical science/health, these are not required for a pre-med track.
Pre-med is used to describe students who plan to continue their education after a bachelor’s degree with graduate medicine school and job shadowing. Whether it’s a dentist, surgeon, nurse or dermatologist, working with patients in a hospital typically requires graduate medical education, unless one plans to be the receptionist of course.
Of the students who selected pre-med at Green Hope, most of them plan to major in a biological science to enhance their chances of attending a quality graduate school, regardless of their level of undergraduate program. Within this group, it is fair to expect future doctors across all interests, as pre-med doesn’t only mean strong science interests, but a passion to help others.
Computer Science – 12%
Despite being only the third most prominent major across the surveyed Green Hope seniors, computer science is one of the most competitive majors across the United States, especially within major North Carolina colleges including UNC Chapel Hill and NC State. With the growth in AI programs, it comes as no surprise that those who are technically inclined plan a future that regards writing computer programs to make processes more efficient and convenient.
Computer science, or writing code, is one of the most applicable and sought after skills in today’s market. Modern workplaces are transitioning to function using programs including Python, JavaScript and other programming languages, a transition that has seeped into high schools and even middle schools. At Green Hope, one of the most popular CTE programs revolves around computer science and computer engineering, with college level courses AP Computer Science Principles and AP Computer Science A now being full of students looking to explore JavaScript and get a head start on their computer science major.
This skill, similar to business majors, allows for major variance within multiple careers. A software programmer can work for tech companies, but can also work for law firms, environmental agencies and international governments; this flexibility continues to keep computer science as a sought after career and major.
Psychology – 10%
The study of the human brain is oftentimes an infatuating topic, so it is evident why psychology is one of the most common majors within Green Hope seniors. With AP Psychology being one of the most popular AP courses offered, students dive into both cognitive and abnormal psychology that creates interest in a wide variety of careers after college.
With abnormal psychology focuses, many students associate themselves with the Pre Med students, planning to help those suffering from mental illnesses in a hospital or mental health institution. With the rise of diagnosed depression, anxiety and other mental health issues, those passionate about helping others combine their passion with their interest in brain function throughout their college major decision.
For normal psychology, this major can be paired with a wide variety of STEM or humanities courses to better understand how society works, a skill applicable to nearly every career. This comprehension of how the standard person thinks develops an ability to ‘read minds’ that helps students better function in their careers and as members of society in general
While Green Hope seniors plan to major in nearly every topic of study next year, these four are the most prominent for those seeking flexibility, academic challenges and careers they can enjoy for the rest of their working lives. While these are certainly not set in stone for students, it is fair to say that this graduating class has high expectations for themselves, and the wide variety of topics will provide success across nearly every discipline of work in society. Apart from the major four, communications, and engineering were two more popular majors that offer flexibility and a wide range of opportunities. No matter the major, the Green Hope senior class is incredibly diverse academically and many students have a good understanding of their anticipated future.
*Disclaimer: The survey conducted regarding the majors at Green Hope may not be a perfect representative of the entire senior class. There may be an undercoverage bias that creates error when applying the statistics of the sample to the entire population of Green Hope’s 2024 senior graduating class.*
