O's Notes

• Computer Science
• Biology
• Chemistry
• Mechanical Engineering
• Business
• Economics
• Psychology
• English
• Physics

It was not very surprising to see STEM majors leading the way as there has been so much written about STEM education, STEM careers and salaries of STEM careers. However, the biggest conclusion that we could draw from the list was that students and parents were searching for majors based on subjects being taught in the schools as opposed to searching for majors based on career pathways. This is a healthy sign that shows that students are searching thoughtfully. Students should be looking at subjects that they enjoyed learning in school and looking at possible career pathways rather than the other way around. Also, it is hard to think of different career pathways while in school beyond thinking of being an engineer, doctor, programmer, lawyer, artist, dancer, musician … Most students either think in broad strokes or look to pursue subjects they like in school or in some cases, emulate their parents’ career paths.

It was surprising to see so many of the searches focused on Mechanical Engineering as compared to other engineering disciplines. Considering that Mechanical Engineering is not taught in high schools, we expected students interested in engineering would probably look into different types of engineering and not focus only on one sub area of engineering. Some of the other well known engineering sub areas where we expected more number of searches are:

1. Electrical and Electronics Engineering
2. Civil Engineering
3. Chemical Engineering
4. Computer Engineering
5. Environmental Science and Engineering
6. Aerospace Engineering
7. Bioengineering

Also the high number of searches for Chemistry had us a bit puzzled. One of the possible reasons for Chemistry and Biology being searched by so many students is that most schools teach Biology in 9th grade, Chemistry in 10th grade and Physics in 11th grade. As many more students now apply early to colleges in the fall of their senior year, they begin researching colleges in their junior year. In such cases, students are still figuring out if they like Physics. This might explain the relative unpopularity of Physics as compared to Chemistry or Biology in O’s List searches. Also,the popularity of Biology could also be attributed to the interest in going into medicine related careers. Nationally, biology is a very popular major for students as compared to any other disciple in the sciences.

Liberal Arts and business majors are also quite popular in O's List searches with economics being the clear favorite. Interestingly, many students are looking at business administration as an undergraduate major. Traditionally business was offered as a masters degree, a.k.a the MBA! Now, undergraduate business degrees are offered at many private (though not at HBS!) and public universities and it is nationally one of the most popular undergraduate majors with many career possibilities. Psychology is another popular major across most colleges and that is reflected in in O's List searches and the number of students graduating annually.

Let’s take a look at the number of students that graduated in 2016 with our most searched majors:

Of course searches are also influenced by the location and the prevalent employment opportunities immediate to the student's high school. Majors such as Computer Science, Biological Sciences, Economics, Engineering (including Mechanical Engineering), Psychology, Chemistry as well as Business Administration are highly sought after at University of California. Just something to be aware of you as search for majors and colleges that offer them.

In conclusion, a major search is a bit of an art. Think of subjects that interest you/your student, look into those majors, look for alternative majors especially if they are highly sought after. You can look up details about majors suggestions for alternatives on the Major Search on our home page. And, do think of the possible career paths that are available after getting an undergraduate degree in majors of your choice.