ut to meet tons of new people and get your first taste of independence. You are finally going to live on your own ... even if that means sharing a 12' x 14' space with a roommate. And the best part is? You can stay out as late as you want to -- Even on a school night!With all these exciting things going on, it can be easy to forget other factors that will impact your college career. Like, say choosing a major. I remember going off to college and not really having a clue what I wanted to do. Who can be absolutely sure of the best use of their skill set at the tender age of 18?
I entered my freshman year with a business undecided major with the intention of choosing the details later. The more business classes I took, I realized that I would be best suited for marketing major. But this decision did not come easily. After an internal debate between marketing, communications and the other business majors at my school, I finally made my choice.
It turned out that I made the right decision, but it certainly was not an easy choice. I thought it would be interesting to see what the most searched for college majors were on AOL Search. If I had such a hard time making decisions others have to be in the same boat.
A major in government came up at the top of the list. I thought it was very interesting that people were searching for colleges with dance majors next. There are a lot of music focused programs that people are searching for from songwriting majors to jazz music and commercial music majors. I also think that a having a broadcasting major could be very fun!
Did your major make out list? Try searching for college majors on AOL Search to see what is out there.
Hot College Majors on AOL Search:
1. Major in government
2. Colleges with dance majors
3. Business forensics major
4. Songwriting major
5. Neuroscience major
6. English major
7. Broadcasting major in college
8. Biology major
9. Colleges with jazz music major
10. Colleges with commercial music major
More Sponsored Links For: college majors, accredited colleges, college degree
posted by Allie
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62
comments
COMMENTS
I am 56 yrs. old, and I have alomst 5 degrees of higher education in both sciences and religion. I wonder if this poll included a research of private religious schools. If not, then we must realize that the most read and studied book in history, year after year, month after month, day after day is the Bible. The New York Times popular books of the month no longer includes the Bible because it always tops out the poll. I am a pastor now, tired and retired, and glad I have two degrees in religious studies, BA in Biblical literature, and M.Div. degree in seminary. We need to have a balanced education, and to marginalize religion is a huge mistake. I have used my science degrees to make money through work as a lab technician for a major oil company in the USA. But please consider me as a conflictual Christian who loves a good debate. As Socrates said, "The more I learn, the more I am amazed at my own ignorance."
By CHRISTOPHER on Dec 20th 2007 at 12:43PM
I majored in Secondary Education because I enjoy teaching & thought kids of the 80s would be the same as they were in the 50s when I was in school. I found they had changed for the worse. After a few years I regretted my decision. You can offer a kid an education, but you can't make it want to learn. In the old days, a community had to sacrifice to build a school & hire a teacher. The teacher usually boarded with a family. Kids went to school to learn. If they didn't, their parents encouraged them (sometimes with a belt.) Education wasn't free. If you pay for something, you will value it more than if it's forced upon you. I'm against free public education. I went to poor rural schools, but we learned even though our books were ancient. Throwing money at schools doesn't solve any problems except those of administrators, who get richer. If you must teach--teach college or adult classes.
By rosenrob on Dec 20th 2007 at 12:45PM
It is a funny thing in the U.S.everyone has switched gears. One of my coworkers spent $3000 on his daughter's volleyball coaching and the like but I doubt if he spent even $300 on books or tutoring of her studies. Now, we see people looking for music majors and song writing majors, which is fine. I Majored myself in Astronautical engineering and minored in figure art. While it is importaint to keep well rounded and close to those things that make you happy it is also reality that only 1 in a million actually make money in art or music. So as some might say go for it, you will never love your job if your not doing what you enjoy. I say push yourself to be braud for your not going to love your job when you working at some grocery store barely making it by only to be confronted with the $300 per month school bill with only a degree to keep you warm. We live long lives, enjoy the things we love and never stop learning. But nothing says misery like digging through garbage cans for food because your homeless.
By Mike on Dec 20th 2007 at 12:54PM
I'm in a kind of grumpy mood this morning, but it's a good opportunity to vent about majoring in Biology. An awful lot of Biology majors choose that major because it's perceived as "easy". Easy why? Because it doesn't have all that "icky" math like Chemistry or Physics.
Granted, the math requirements for a Biology degree are lower than other sciences, and the degree can be relatively easy to get, but it just plain TICKS ME OFF when people perceive Biology as "easy". Real biology isn't easy. Life science research is messy, frustrating, and a lot of hard work. That's also not to say that I don't love the life sciences: I got one of my bachelor's degrees in Biology (the other in Chemistry), and just spent the last 9 years in life science research. I'd rather be in biology or a related field than anywhere else.
I was surprised to see Neuroscience rate so highly in searches, because it DOES make Biology look easy. Those 9 years in research? They involved the same techniques and genes as basic neuroscience research. Quite often, the only papers available on the genes I studied were neuroscience papers.
I don't want to scare anyone away from the field, because it's definitely interesting and rewarding. Just don't expect it to be easy.
Are Biology or Neuroscience majors which have good employment potential? Not really. In Neuroscience, you will be part of a very small world of scientists. If you want to work in biology research in a more general sense, there are more openings, but right now life science research is suffering from a terrible funding crunch. Research grants are being cut or eliminated every day. If you have nothing beyond a generic Biology bachelor's degree, you will need some kind of "kicker" to get hired: a minor in Biochemistry or Chemistry can help. Laboratory experience definitely helps. Recommendations from other researchers and scientists who actually KNOW your work help.
By Lisa on Dec 20th 2007 at 12:54PM
Looks like they want to be on tv or in entertainment in one way or another
By luz on Dec 20th 2007 at 3:33PM
Getting a vocational license (cosmetology, licensed vocational nurse, refrigeration, psychiatric technician etc.) will give you a skill to work part time for decent wages while in college. Also the work experience is a benefit especially going into a university internship.
By Katie Donlin on Dec 20th 2007 at 1:07PM
Since only 25% of the population has a BA or higher, I sincerely doubt many of the people commenting have ever been to college.
Major in what you enjoy, because it honestly doesn't matter at all.
As long as you have a BA (so I guess it rules out art and music programs that give BFAs instead of BAs) it doesn't matter at all what your major was.
BAs are the new high school diplomas. Go to a good school because most of your learning will not take place in the classroom. Major in what you love, because unless you intend to go to graduate school, all anyone will care about is that you have a BA.
By Chrysee on Dec 20th 2007 at 1:09PM
I am a Broadcasting major and don't for the life of me know why anyone would waste their college education on this major. I did radio and TV, and then got married and chose to leave my career. I should have pursued that English teaching major.... First of all, if you have "the voice" and can read without stuttering and stumbling all over yourself you can make it in the biz. But look at all of the kiddos who are on the air (TV and radio) with Mickey Mouse voices, poor English, mispronunciations, and burst out laughing when they make a mistake on air! In the average market, there is no degree required or necessary. And look at how many retired athletes become instant "broadcasting professionals" just because they have played the game! Psssh. My daughter wanted to pursue a broadcasting degree just because it sounded "glamorous." She is 16 and a 4.0 student and I told her to use her brains on something a lot more worthwhile than being on TV or radio! ....You should see the Salt Lake City TV market.... Professionals, my foot!
By anony on Dec 20th 2007 at 1:17PM
#14, are you really a life-long English professor? You were even an English professor as a child? Impressive!! I want YOUR education!!
Interesting controversy between following a dream and finding a career that pays well. However, unless our government does something to make getting a college education less cost-prohibitive, this debate will end. And grammar, spelling and typos will cease to matter as we will become a much weaker nation where only the very top percent of wage earners can afford to send their darling children to college and the majority can be dreaming their little dreams while flipping burgers.
By m. jackson on Dec 20th 2007 at 1:27PM
Except these are AOL searches, and the majority of intelligent college bound folks I know don't use AOL search.
By sn71875 on Dec 20th 2007 at 9:41PM
i wish i had the lenient English professor who decreed that mixing up 'there' and 'their' was no big gaff....my teacher treats it as akin to taking a shit on the carpet
By hunter on Dec 20th 2007 at 2:05PM
@45
I come from a very low income family and attended a high school in a district that year after year is labeled as having "academic emergency" status. I now have a Master's and am still continuing my education.
Cost of college alone is not a barrier as almost every college offers financial aid, and there are always grants and outside scholarships available. I attended a private liberal arts college that cost well over $40k a year and graduated with relatively little as far as student loans go.
If you can get in to college, there is always a way to found to pay for it. I wish people would stop using cost as an excuse for not furthering themselves.
By Chrysee on Dec 20th 2007 at 1:34PM
It seems to me that with the oil crisis looming that chemists and engineers would be the first order of business! Chemists to develop alternate fuels that would not disrupt the food industry, and engineers to develop truly new ways of getting around.
...and congrats to the monitors of this board who seem to be successful in screening out the kooks!
By Bat on Dec 20th 2007 at 1:49PM
Glad to see some music majors are being searched for. Yes it is hard to make money in some professions, but if that is what you love and are dedicated to your craft then how much $ you make doesn't matter. Yes the more money you make the better it makes you feel but it's not all about the money.
By sspaz1000 on Dec 20th 2007 at 1:46PM
Just because these majors were "most searched" doesn't mean that traditional majors are being less sought after. Typically, almost every college offers degrees in medicine, law, and education related fields, so it would not be necessary to search for them...
By Kristen on Dec 20th 2007 at 4:18PM
without reading any further comments:
"Wow, is this list representative of the priorities in our culture? Where are the medical and legal professions? How about teachers, architects, and engineers? Granted these professions do not pay as well as the entertainment industry does, but I worry that our society will not have quallfied professionals in traditional areas--but, boy, we should all have a good time!!"
Both the medical and legal industry are represented on this list at number 8 and number 1 respectively. You don't become a doctor or a lawyer with a bachelor's degree. As a law student with a Pre-Law degree, my major was in political science/government, while a med student would have been a biology major.
By Amanda on Dec 20th 2007 at 1:58PM
Why go to college to get a job? Just go down to Mcpukes and start to flip burgers.
By R Colling on Dec 20th 2007 at 2:08PM
And, not to mention, a Bachelor degree is- as mentioned above- the new High School Diploma. It doesn't matter what your major is. A Bachelor's in general is becoming close to a requirement for any entry-level job and major doesn't matter.
My degree gained me entrance into a MPA program, which in turn gained me entrance into a JD program. If the pattern remains, the JD will not actually get me a job, but rather push me into a PhD. At this point I suppose I will be too old to employ by the time I'm finished.
My best friend went the "right" route. Her degree is in Business Management and she went back to get a second major in Spanish. She is certified fluent in Spanish and a Business major. We are from a town of 200,000+ not a big city, but we can't all live in the city... She comes highly recommended considering she did all the right things, participated in all the right programs, rubbed noses with the right people and spent the right amount of time volunteering. The only jobs she's been able to get since we graduated 4 years ago have been in childcare. I did no better. My highest pay came as a courier.
Do what you love. You'll get better grades, you'll be happier, it may or may not open further opportunities, but you aren't guaranteed that paycheck either way.
By Amanda on Dec 20th 2007 at 2:14PM
To #46 who wrote: "Glad to see some music majors are being searched for. Yes it is hard to make money in some professions, but if that is what you love and are dedicated to your craft then how much $ you make doesn't matter. Yes the more money you make the better it makes you feel but it's not all about the money."
My guess is that you are either young, naive, work in a different field or are one of the rare few who has figured out how to find happiness in face of the near poverty wages that some jobs in music pay. I know any number of people who are performers and teachers of music and they all either count on spouses with better paying jobs or eek out a meager living. Teaching music, at least at the college level is one the lowest paying academic jobs in education. People who in many cases are pretty accomplished musicians and holders of advanced degrees in their field often make the kind of money as seasoned professionals that others make in entry level positions in other fields.
Music is wonderful, life would be dreadfully dull without it, but it is far from necessary and the mediocre to downright awful pay, not to mention the competition for those positions clearly acknowledges that. Do what you love, but according to what it is, be prepared to be happy with very very little, and be prepared to accept the pressure of barely making ends meet and in some cases becoming a slave to your chosen love, as the lack of pay will dictate everything else in your life including where you live, what you can afford, how little you have to even attend concerts and how much you have to work just to get by...by all means, you better love what you do...you're going to have to do a lot of it.
By Sammy C on Dec 20th 2007 at 2:29PM
I understand why kids are looking to go into broadcasting because it's what i went for but really they need to stay away from it and look into something more practical it's a very hard field to keep a steady job and tv/entertainment contrary to what someone posted does NOT pay well unless you are in the top of the field. Everyone in the beginning of that field starts of interning for free and they can do that after college as well. I did for 2 projects I was paying them to work with the cost of commuting and lunch (when i got the chance to eat).
So yes it is great to follow something you love and enjoy but you also have to be practical so if you are going into broadcasting such as tv/film I would consider a minor such as business/PR/Advertising/Graphic Design something along those lines that is maybe still creative but is more of a steady kind of job, because now at 29 I am thinking about going back to school even though I have worked on some pretty well known shows.
By jackie on Dec 20th 2007 at 2:32PM