Graduating means much more than receiving a diploma and beginning the journey of earning a degree- it means independence and an excessive amount of good, clear decision making. To go into college with a plan of attack is usually successful, however, there are positives to going undecided.
Going in with a decided major and minor is definitely more common throughout the country, disregarding the fact that often, they are switched. Being decided ahead of time can be more cost efficient, as long as it is not changed. With every switch, the cost goes up. Changing majors could also result in you getting behind in your courses because you’d be starting later than your fellow classmates.
Being decided can also boost your chances of being accepted in general, as colleges like decisiveness.
With an immediate decision of your major, you can begin to take classes that specifically relate to your intended major. For example, if the major is in the scientific field the classes would be science related (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Astronomy, Earth Science).
If you know what you want as a major early enough, you can even prepare for college by taking related classes in high school. By doing this, you’ll have a more clear vision of what to expect when you get up to the big leagues.
As previously mentioned, a downside to going in decided is that if you do end up changing your mind, it leads to expense and a lack of time to learn the necessary material.
Transitioning into college is hard enough, being decided right away means that you would be required to take harder classes that match you major immediately.
Although the idea of being decided is more of a staple of college preparation, there are some pros to applying as undecided as well. For one, it gives you a chance to explore your options in a particular field. If you wanted to go into the art field and you applied as undecided, you would take Intro to Studio Art, Drawing Basics, etc. and still have the opportunity to pick a specific career choice.
Like anything, there are some negatives to being an undecided applicants. Some of these cons include being more expensive and being less likely to be accepted.
Depending on the college you attend, it could be more expensive in general to be an undecided student. However, if you like the route of applying for scholarships, you might be disappointed too, as most scholarships are career-based and will not help.
There is also the college to take into account. It could be a college that doesn’t offer good programs for undecided students. If you decide to change your major, the college you attend might not even offer the one you want. If you go to a school that offers more STEM careers (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) and you decide you want to go into art, the college, if it does offer those kinds of programs, most likely will not be the best if they are better known for other degrees.