How to Nail Down Jello

Wilma shared that her first homeschool student received wonderful scholarships for college, but she has concerns that her second child doesn't have a college major in mind.

Dear Wilma,

Congratulations on your son's scholarships!  Woo Hoo!

About your daughter....  I think your best bet is to stay as flexible as possible.  Since she is interested in art, people (think about psychology perhaps,) business, AND being a vet, I would recommend a Liberal Arts college.  Make sure you pick one that has graphic art and a science degree offered, though, just in case she goes into graphic art or vet school.  Try to find one that has lots of music choices, lots of performing groups.   A liberal arts school will allow her to "experience" a lot of different classes to see what she REALLY likes to do.  Even if she ultimately can't decide, she can still get a liberal arts college degree, which basically means she knows something about a lot of different things.  You can search for a liberal arts school by going to college fairs, searching online, and taking the PSAT this year.  I have a lot of suggestions in my video "Finding a College" and "Getting the BIG Scholarships."  It will tell you how to find a college that has great graduation statistics, for example.  And by the way, she CAN still get big scholarships, even if she doesn't know exactly what she wants to do.  Scholarships may vary widely, depending on the school, so you'll have to look hard.  But they are there!

One of my young friends is in a similar situation.  She is looking at Communications major right now.  There is little that is "intense" in the academic sense, and the degree is widely applicable to many careers.  You should know that many employers just want a college degree (ANY college degree) and so her choice of college majors may not be as critical as it seems.  Sometimes just getting a student on campus can give them the "thrilling feeling" of a college.  Will she go on college visits?  I would definitely plan some of those.  I had to force my older son to visit colleges even though he had no clue of a major, and now he is happily attending school in electrical engineering.

Hang in there, Wilma!  I'm here if you need me, and we can talk if you want to.  I think the videos linked above will help, though.



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