By: Kalyssa Chu, Staff Writer
For the many Mills seniors going on to pursue a college education, selecting a major may feel like one of the toughest decisions one must make. Some have a clear vision of their future, driven by lifelong interests or concrete career aspirations. Others feel lost, unsure of how to make such a pivotal choice before haven even walked the graduation stage. At Mills, many seniors are grappling with these choices in different ways—balancing passion, practicality and the pressures that come with deciding their futures.
For Nathaniel Lafon (12), deciding his major was a breeze. In the fall, Lafon will join Menlo College as a student-athlete, playing baseball while majoring in business with a sports management emphasis. As a lifelong athlete and sports-enthusiast, Lafon stated, “I’ve always wanted to go into sports management…[the major] was the perfect match for me.” Because of his passion for the field, Lafon is confident in his decision: “I think [sports management] will end up being what I do [in the future]….working for a professional sports organization would be pretty cool.”
Others may struggle in finding such a natural inclination toward one specific major. However, some seniors were able to find interest in certain majors through exploration done throughout high school. Inspired by a positive experience taking AP Physics C at Mills, Ray He (12) hopes to study astrophysics at a four-year university. “I chose [my major] because I like math, and then I took [AP Physics C] at Mills, which I thought was really fun,” He added, “My parents wanted me to do engineering because of external pressures, but I think I chose astrophysics more because of passion.” However, He notes he’s always open to switching majors later on. “If things don’t work out, I’m probably going to transfer to engineering just because it makes more money,” He said.
Similar to He, personal experience inspired Carmel Fleifel (12) to pick her major. As an experienced dancer and dance teacher for young students, Fleifel said, “I like teaching kids, and I’ve always wanted to be a teacher…I once had a teacher who really inspired me, so I want to inspire kids in the way my teacher inspired me.” With these aspirations, Fleifel decided to major in early childhood education. “My family was against me being a teacher, but I chose to go into early childhood education because I knew it would make me happy,” she said.
Yet, even Fleifel is uncertain of her major choice. “I’m super open to changing paths,” Fleifel said, “Honestly, I decided [my major] like a few days before the submission deadline, so I probably will end up changing.”
With this uncertainty, Fleifel decided to apply to some colleges as an “undeclared” major—indicating to schools that she hasn’t yet decided on a specific path of learning. “I don’t think it’s great to choose a major at 18 years old and decide your entire life as a teenager,” Fleifel stated, “In most cases, I don’t think that’s very wise.”
However, Eddison Hue (12) believes the importance of choosing a major “depends on the person.” Hue stated, “If you already have a good idea of what you want to pursue, then it’s a no-brainer.” Hue hopes to attend a 4-year university as an economics major—notably citing family as the sole determinant in his choice of major. “My mom is in [the field of economics], and I’ve found that she makes good money,” Hue said, “And my sister is also studying economics, so I’m following in her footsteps…I’m just trying to live up to her.”
Ultimately, choosing a college major is a complex decision. While seniors may try to make the decision based on personal desire and enjoyment of a subject, it seems inevitable that family, money and other influences play a large role in how a senior ultimately decides their college major. But, while the pressure to decide may feel overwhelming at the moment, the future is always open to possibility; as Lafon said, “If one door closes and another door opens, I’m 100% open to adventuring and exploring new things.”
