What Do You Like?

An easy way to preliminarily decide what you want to major in is to think about what you liked learning in high school. There are different paths available in every major from computer science to nutrition to art and design, and understanding where your general academic interests lie is a great way to narrow down the field. Once you decide what subject you’d like to explore, the major requirements you need to take will help you figure out which specific aspects of the subject most appeals to you.

Make the Most of General Requirements

Throughout college, you will need to take certain classes to fill university-wide requirements. Generally, students will need to take a combination of a foreign language, an introduction to science, a low-level math class, and one or two college writing classes in order to graduate. Though you may initially see these classes as an undesirable addition to your course load, changing your attitude and seeing them as a way to explore different majors can help you find a subject you may be drawn to that you weren’t aware of before. It is very common for students to change majors after declaring, or pick up a minor they would have never considered upon entering school. Look through the course guide and pick classes that meet requirements and afford you the opportunity to explore new interests.

Use Your Resources

College syllabi and older upperclassmen can be great resources when choosing on a major. Many professors will post required readings and assignments with the course description, allowing you to see what the workload will be like before you sign up for the class. As you decide what classes to take, explore the syllabi and see if the coursework is something that interests you. If you find yourself dreading most of the work you will have during the semester, it may be a good idea to consider looking for different tracks of study within your field, or changing your major altogether. Another great resource that is available is the peer-advising office, where you can get advice and talk to upperclassmen in your major about what they enjoy most and least about the program.

Have A Back Up Plan

Most likely you will only be taking four or five classes a semester, but when preparing for registration, it is important to have back up options in case your first-choice classes are full. Take the time to look through the entire course guide and note the classes you’d be interested in taking—anywhere from six to ten back up classes will be sufficient. Look at the assignments, readings, exam schedule, and meeting time of each course to make sure they would be a good fit with your other options—you don’t want to burn out during your first year.

Join the Waitlist

For classes with a waitlist available, adding your name will give you a realistic indication of how likely it is that a seat will open up for you. If you’re anywhere from 1-10 on a waitlist for a lecture, it is likely that enough students will drop the class and allow you to register. On the other hand if you have a low number, like somewhere in the 20s or 30s, you don’t want to get your hopes up—it is unlikely that that many students will drop the course.

Keep Checking

After the initial round of registration has ended, students continually drop and add classes at the beginning of the semester. If the classes you’re interested in do not have a waitlist available, continually checking to see if spaces have opened up is your best chance of getting into the classes you want to take.

Email the Professor

If you have a connection to the professor teaching a course you want to take, sending an email detailing your interest and asking for an override may get you the extra push you need to enroll in the class. Professors can sometimes issue special permission to register, and will give these to students they feel will be an excellent addition to the course. It doesn’t work in every case, but there’s no reason not to try.

If You’re Undecided

If you haven’t chosen a major yet, you might want to spend your first semester or two plowing through your core coursework. With classes in multiple fields, you might be able to get a better idea on what it is you’ll want to further pursue. In addition, with your core coursework out of the way, you’ll be able to breeze through your major coursework without being held up by all those other 100 level classes you put off. This can increase your chances of graduating on time.

If you have some idea on what you’ll be majoring in, but just aren’t sure specifically what path to take, you can start taking some of your major’s general courses that will be required by everyone perusing that field. For example, if you’re not sure if you want to be a state trooper or a crime scene investigator, a 100 level criminal justice class is probably required for both.

If You’ve Chosen a Major

Instead of planning your schedule for this semester, try to plan for all of college. What courses will you need to take and when? You don’t want to put off a class that’s uninteresting, only to later find out it’s a prerequisite for every class you’ll need to take your sophomore year.

General Guidelines

Don’t take too many classes that are similar in nature or workload. While biology may be your passion, four biology lectures with four labs due every Friday can get both confusing and exhausting.

Make note of the time you have between classes. Is there time to get lunch? Do you have chunks of time in your schedule you could use for group projects or papers? You don’t want to leave yourself with just enough time to do nothing everyday!

If the same class is taught by multiple professors, you may want to do some research. Read up on the backgrounds of your professors, and decide which you think will have more to offer. Ask other students who have taken the class. What do upperclassmen have to recommend? While one friend may advise you to avoid a professor based on the intense workload, an upperclassman may report that if they hadn’t had that professor, they wouldn’t have done so well in their other classes.

Still short on those tuition dollars? Cappex can help you search for scholarships!

I took a couple, something on dinosaurs (which, to my surprise, did have more than one lecture simply stating, ‘And then they went extinct’) and one on Harry Potter. And you know what? Those professors know what they’re doing because I actually learned a lot more than I bargained for–a lot of information on how rocks form, which is WAY more exciting than it sounds, and a bunch of themes in British literature that even J.K. Rowling herself is not immune to (probably because she knew what she was doing while she was writing the best books ever).

What’s super neat-o awesome about a liberal arts education is that you can take a class on the metaphysical mechanics of Doc Brown’s time machine in Back to the Future, and you will leave knowing so much more about the world than you could’ve possibly expected. That’s the beauty of the liberal arts; it’s not just black and white. That’s why it’s important to study different mediums to discuss language, philosophy, science and history. Even if one of those fields is your major, there’s a good chance there’ll bee some cross-pollination (see what I did there?) You’ll have to know how to study history if you’re an English major and vice a versa.

So when you’re looking through that course guide, don’t just skip over the flashy pop culture courses because you think you won’t get anything out of them; you most definitely will.

On that note, here are 11 popular culture classes being offered this semester at colleges across the nation. Do any interest you?

1. Consumerism and Social Change in Mad Men America, 1960-1963
Northwestern University
What it’s about: Taught and conceived by Professor Michael Allen, this Mad Men class will assign students to watch episodes of the popular TV series, which Allen believes accurately portrays American life in the 1950s-60s. 

2. South Park and Contemporary Social Issues
McDaniel College
What it’s about: Dr. Baron (Philosophy) and Dr. Raley (Sociology) of McDaniel College are using South Park–a show which has never shied away from tackling the big social issues from its own point of view–paired with  historical and contemporary texts, theories, and concepts from sociology and philosophy to understand and discuss contemporary social issues.

3. Lady Gaga and the Sociology of Fame
University of South Carolina
What it’s about: Students who take the course with Mathieu Deflem will focus on relevant elements of the societal context of Lady Gaga’s rise to fame, with students better able to engage in scholarly thinking about relevant aspects of popular culture, music, and fame.

4. Zombies in Popular Media
Columbia College Chicago
What it’s about: This course explores the history, significance, and representation of the zombie as a figure in horror and fantasy texts. Instruction follows an intense schedule, using critical theory and source media (literature, comics, and films) to spur discussion and exploration of the figures many incarnations….beware…

5. Wordplay: A Wry Plod From Babel to Scrabble
Princeton
What it’s about: Professor Joshua Katz teaches this course with the goal to bring together interesting reading, thoughtful scholarship, and hands-on revelry in the exploration of the ludic side of language. Linguistic play is part of many people’s normal experience (think of the daily crossword puzzle and the excitement that surrounds the annual Scripps National Spelling Bee) and yet it is widely considered a trivial pursuit, often childish (Dr. Seuss and counting-out rhymes) but sometimes abstruse (James Joyce and Vladimir Nabokov).

6. “Oh, Look, a Chicken!” Embracing Distraction as a Way of Knowing
Belmont University
What it’s about:This course challenges the general conception that being distracted, i.e. students with A.D.D, infringe on “knowing”. T he course is all about ways of knowing, so it embraces the fact that we are distracted as a culture, why are we distracted, how can we embrace it and how do we get back to the thing that we were doing in the first place

7. What if Harry Potter is Real?
Appalachian State University
What it’s about: This course asks questions about the very nature of history. Who decides what history is? Who decides how it is used or mis-used? How does this use or misuse affect us? How can the historical imagination inform literature and fantasy? How can fantasy reshape how we look at history? The Harry Potter novels and films are fertile ground for exploring all of these deeper questions. Wingardium leviosa!

8. The Textual Appeal of Tupac Shakur
University of Washington
What it’s about: The course explores the philosophical, historical and literary influences of the late rapper and activist, Tupac Shakur.

9. Goldberg’s Canon: Makin’ Whoopi
Bates College
What it’s about: Simply said, it’s a symposium on the career of Whoopi Goldberg.

10. Philosophy of Star Trek
Georgetown
What it’s about: Taught by Associate Professor Linda Wetzel, this course will go at light speed discussing topics in metaphysics that come up again and again in Star Trek. In conjunction with watching Star Trek, excerpts from the writings of great philosophers, extract key concepts and arguments will be assigned.

11. Sociology of Hip Hop: Jay-Z
Georgetown
What it’s about: The course is taught by Michael Eric Dyson, who wanted to seriously investigate the fuss behind Jay’z rhetorical impact.

Do any of these classes pique your interest? What class would you want taught?

The Princeton Review recently published which colleges and universities had the most studious student bodies. So if you think you’re a bookworm who would fit in with the other kids at the library, check out these ten most studious schools:

1. Harvey Mudd College
Fun fact: Students at Harvey Mudd are encouraged to take classes for academic credit at the other four Claremont colleges-Pitzer College, Scripps College, Claremont McKenna College, Pomona College, Claremont Graduate College and Keck Graduate Institute of Applied Life Sciences.

2. MIT
Fun fact: The Massachusetts Institute of Technology was founded in 1861 in response to the increasing industrialization of the United States.

3. Franklin W. Olin College of Engineering
Fun fact: The College currently awards the half-tuition Olin Scholarship to each admitted student.

4. Harvard University
Fun fact: Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States.

5. Princeton University
Fun fact: Princeton has been associated with 33 Nobel Laureates, 17 National Medal of Science winners, and three National Humanities Medal winners.

6. United States Military Academy, West Point
Fun fact: Candidates for admission must both apply directly to the academy and receive a nomination, usually from a congressman.

7. Davidson College
Fun fact: Both the town and college were named after Brigadier General William Lee Davidson, a Revolutionary War commander.

8. Haverford College
Fun fact: Although the College no longer has a formal religious affiliation, the Quaker philosophy still influences campus life such as its Honor Code, which allows for students to schedule their own final exams.

9. University of Chicago
Fun fact: The University of Chicago is said to look the most like the fictional magic school Hogwarts.

10. California Institute of Technology
Fun fact: Caltech has a strong tradition of practical jokes and pranks, but similarly to Haverford, student life is governed by an honor code which allows faculty to assign take-home examinations.

Would you want to go to one of these “bookish” schools? Leave a comment!

One of the most important factors that often gets overlooked, or is just misunderstood like your 8th grade goth self, is school size.  The size of an enrollment class completely changes the culture of a school. Going to a university with 300 people in your freshman class is far different from going to a college with 10,000 people in your class. So if you’re looking for that big school atmosphere, today, we’re giving you a list of the ten universities with the largest undergraduate enrollment:

1. University of Central Florida
Enrollment – 45,398
Fun fact – UCF was founded with the goal to educate current and future students for promising space-age careers in engineering, electronics and other technological professions, thus serving as a support system for the nearby Kennedy Space Center. 3….2…..1…take off!

2. Ohio State University
Enrollment - 41,348
Fun fact - OSU was among the first group of public universities to raise a $1 billion endowment in 1999.

3. Arizona State University
Enrollment - 41, 256
Fun fact -To ensure college access to all Arizona residents, ASU has relatively liberal admission standards. Admission is ensured to Arizona residents in the top 25% of their high-school class with at a weighted secondary GPA of 2.5 GPA, or anyone with 24 credits of community college work with a 2.0 GPA minimum.

4. Rutgers University
Enrollment - 38,902
Fun fact – Rutgers is one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American Revolution. “Education is coming; education is coming!” – Paul Revere’s cousin.

5. Texas A&M University
Enrollment – 38,810
Fun fact -Texas A&M’s original mission was to educate males in farming and military technique. Because everybody knows, if you can plant a seed, you can grow an army.

6. Pennsylvania State University
Enrollment – 38,630
Fun fact – The 22,000+ student section at home football games is the largest concentrated student section in the nation…which is either a dream come true or your biggest headache.

7. University of Texas at Austin
Enrollment – 38,168
Fun fact - To show your UT pride, just show the Hook’em Horns hand signal to show you’re a Texas Longhorn. Make sure not to show it off in the wrong neighborhood though.

8. University of South Florida
Enrollment – 36,595
Fun fact – USF is also one of the nation’s top centers for the advancement in research of treatments for Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and Huntington’s disease.

9. Michigan State University
Enrollment – 36,389
Fun fact - East Lansing is pretty much all college town, with 60.2% of the population between the ages of 15 and 24

10. University of Florida
Enrollment – 33,628
Fun fact - Approximately 5,200 undergraduate students (or approximately 15%) are members of either a sorority or fraternity.

What’s your take? Is a big school right for you? Leave a comment!

Take a look at these 7 out of the ordinary college majors:

1. Bowling Industry Management
This is what we’d call a turkey of a major. Learn to bowl without bumpers at Vincennes University.

2. Canadian Studies
This really shouldn’t be that weird, but it is! When have you ever learned anything about Canada in a class? It’s actually kind of sad.  If this brings a sweet maple tear down your cheek, enroll now at SUNY Plattsburgh.

3. Professional Nanny
Thinking about a theater major? This would be the perfect minor to pair with it from Sullivan University. If you write some diaries, you might even get a movie deal where Scarlett Johansson plays you!

4. Poultry Science
Bawk, bawk bawk. You are not a chicken if you leave with a degree from North Carolina State University in poultry science. You are our hero.

5. Bagpipes
It always seems like there’s one sole bagpiper marching by his lonely self on a misty hillside after the morning rain. Join his cause and the bagpipe revolution at Carnegie Mellon University.

6. The Beatles
At the Liverpool Hope University, instead of yellow school busses they have yellow submarines and instead of normal school weeks, classes are 8 days a week. Does this sound up your alley (or Abbey Road?).

7. Sports ministry
Belhaven College in Jackson, Mississippi offers the dream degree for folks who love youth sports and want to be ministers. It’s a combo degree that sounds like holy home run!

Is there a college major you wish existed? Comment and let us know!

3 Valentine Ideas for College or High School Students on a Budget:

1. Snail Mail – Not even college admissions use the ole’ U.S. Postal Service anymore.  Everything is digital, even college acceptance letters! But, receiving a sweet letter in the mail that is not a bill is definitely a treat.  So make your own card, buy a stamp, write your heart out to your Valentine, and you’ll only be out 44 cents!

2. Cook a Dinner at Home – You don’t have to go out to enjoy a decadent Valentine’s dinner with your Valentine. If you’re a college or high school student on a budget, you don’t need to impress your Valentine with a fancy French dinner, just cook up something at home! Not only will you save moolah, but you will impress your Valentine with your new found culinary skills. *Hint* Easy recipes are as simple to find on the Internet as scholarships are using Cappex.com!

3. Picture You Two Together - If you want to present your Valentine with a nicely wrapped gift but still stay on your college or high school student budget, a picture frame is the way to go.  You can find affordable picture frames at tons of places.  Plus, the most personal part of the gift is the picture you place inside.  It’s an affordable gift that has meaning to it, and it’s definitely better than your other affordable and personlized option: the illustrious mix-tape.

So happy Valentine’s Day! And if none of the above options work for you, why not find some scholarships to save your Valentine money on college?  That’s probably the best Valentine they’ll ever get!

It’s time for, drum roll please, a crazy college story! College and university life is definitely the time for trying new things, but where does it go too far? Would sticking a camera in your skull suffice to say the experience has “gone too far”? At New York University, arts professor Wafaa Bilal, recently implanted a camera in the back of his head only to realize his body did not want it. According to The Huffington Post, “[Bilal] underwent surgery on Friday after his body rejected one of the titanium posts anchoring the device to his skull.”  The article goes on explaining:

Late last year, Bilal had the digital camera inserted into a two-inch hole drilled into the back of his head. According to The Chronicle of High Education, the body-modification artist who performed the surgery also installed three posts between Bilal’s skin and skull to root the setup in place.

Bilal intended to wear the camera around for a year as part of an art project, titled “The 3rd I,” commissioned for the opening of the Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, reports the AP. “But the setup caused constant pain, because his body rejected one of the posts, despite treatment with antibiotics and steroids,” The Chronicle now writes.

The troublesome post has been removed, but the other two remain. “I’m determined to continue with [the project],” Mr. Bilal said, according to The Chronicle.

Continue Reading>>

How is IUPUI using college search social media sites?

We use a mix of several college search social media sites to turn prospects into applicants. We also use Facebook and Twitter to get the IUPUI story out.

What do you see as the key benefits of the sites?

They allow us to reach out to students who we might not normally be able to meet through the conventional methods. For example, when George Hill first signed with San Antonio Spurs, we sent a message out through one of the sites saying he went to school here – see where he got his start. Response was almost instant: The San Antonio prospect pool quadrupled within 24 hours.

It’s nice that, with Cappex, we can call our rep and say hey we want to send a message like this out, and within a day, we’ve got a message out there.

College search social media tools account for about 2% of our total apps, however we primarily use those tools for targeting our nonresident populations – an area we’re trying to grow. For those non-resident populations, they account for 6% to 7%.

How are you integrating online tools with traditional off-line recruiting programs?

We’ve used the tools to make students aware of our presence at a particular event such as college fairs. It can anywhere from a small high school visit, like if we’re going out to California, and we can search out students from specific high schools to let them know we’re coming out there. We’ve also used them to promote national college fairs and campus events.

We have been been fortunate at IUPUI to have some very unique undergraduate majors and academic schools, and we regularly use tools including Cappex to push out messages to students who have similar academic interests. For example, Music Technology was something we launched two years ago, and when that school was just getting started, we sent out a message to any students who had similar interests and got a great response from it. We also send out these messages through traditional postcards and email. So, the messaging through the college search social media sites complements the emails and offline mailings.

Once we’ve made initial contact with a student through the sites, we usually put those students into a more heavy email stream.

How can college search social media be used to provide a campus experience online?

What we can do is talk about the in-person opportunities as much as we can but we also realize that, if you’re in California, it’s going to take a large commitment to get you out here to check us out. To get you to that first step, we’ve got our interactive Web tour that our communications marketing office developed. We’ve got our videos through UniversityTV. Since it’s all Web based, we can push any of that out to students. And then you have the YouTube experience as well.

I think those things have eventually led to more students taking the next step by submitting an application (we have a lot of stealth applicants) or taking the next step by participating in one of our on campus events. For us, the hardest thing is getting people to understand who we are, and I think those tools give us a lot more flexibility to do that.

Recently, I’ve been working with a California a student who sent us a message through Cappex that she had a question about the IUPUI application. We’ve been able to continue the dialogue. And now we’re going to have our California recruiter meet with her.

What do you think the future holds for college search social media?

I could see college search social media not just introducing students to schools, but taking a more active role in helping see that student through application and matriculation.

What advice do you have for other admission officers to best integrate the sites into their recruiting programs?

Come up with a plan on how to qualify and respond to inquiries generated through the tools. Would it be a follow up message trough one of the sites, an email sent directly from the university, or should they start receiving your letters and postcards?

Have fun with it, too. Don’t sound forced. Don’t make it sound like you’re 18 because that always fails. You can still have fun with it while keeping a mature voice.

For more on this topic, read our latest white paper with trends on how college admission offices are integrating college search social media sites.