College Decisions often left Undecided

By Laura Revelt –

So many choices for college majors can leave high school seniors , well, Undecided.

As the end of their last year of high school approaches, Penn Manor High School Seniors must make their after- high school decisions. Will they further their education at a college, attend a technical school, or go right into a field of work?

Although some students are planning to go to a four-year university or college, they may not know what career they want to pursue yet.

Lars Andersen, a Penn Manor senior, has applied to seven different Universities including the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University and Columbia University. He applied with the major of Undecided.

“I have multiple interests,” said Andersen. “I don’t want to invest in one too heavily and then change it.”

Another Senior, Allison Duke, committed to the University of Pittsburgh. When she applied she chose the major of Undecided as well.
“At the time(when applying) I wasn’t sure what I really wanted to do because at the time I was between the field of medical and business,” Duke said.

Cassandra Sweikert is planning to attend Millersville University in the fall of 2011. She has multiple interests in school that include psychology and math, but she is not sure what she wants her future career to be so she is going in to college with the major of Undecided.

“There are multiple things (options) and everyone changes (majors) anyway,” said Sweikert.

“I just don’t see the point of going in with something (a major) unless you’re dead set on it,” said Sweikert.

She said she feels prepared for college and that her plan is, “Probably just process of elimination. I’ll take as many classes as I can.”

But Anderson, Duke, and Swiekert are not the only ones who don’t know in what they want to major.

In the fall of 2010, 21.8 percent of Millersville University’s freshman class entered with the major of Undecided. In fact, over the last five years Millersville’s freshman class consisted of a total of about 1,300 students and each year anywhere from 288 to 363 students had the major of Undecided.

“College is a big stress. A lot of new things are being experienced and it’s hard to choose what to major in because of all the choices,” said senior Quinn Nadu.

The college decision-making process may be a stressful one and some seniors become undecided college freshman.