Nashville Public Radio on the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR)  push to do away with undecided majors. The goal is to have all freshmen declare a major – in other words, require 18-year-olds to declare what they want to do with the rest of their lives. While early declaration of a major may be good for some students, it is not the right choice for all students. In NPR’s report, a spokesman for Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) said  the school recognizes that exploration is important but that they still want to get students into a declared major as soon as they can. I think that TBR and MTSU are doing students a disservice by not giving them the time and the opportunity to make a more informed decision about a major.

Most college and universities, including MTSU,  have a general education core of courses that all students must take their first two years. These courses cover all disciplines and give students a strong liberal arts foundation that introduces them to many areas of study so they have a better idea of what they want to major in. Taking this opportunity away from students is not a wise decision. It will result in more students changing their majors during the first two years or worse, staying in a major they really don’t want to be in – just because they declared it before they really knew what they were interested in.

In my book, College in Four Years, I dedicate an entire chapter to the process of choosing a major – it is that critical to a student’s progress toward graduation. My recommendation, use the first two years of college study to make a decision about a major. Then, begin studies in that major in the third year of college. This approach helps students know better what major to choose  and why they are choosing it. It also helps them avoid  taking courses that won’t count toward graduation because the major they declared at 18 doesn’t fit the future of a more educated and experienced 20-year-old.