--- title: "Five Common Myths About College Majors | Elite Prep" description: "Applying undecided won't hurt your odds, most students switch majors, and a humanities degree can pay off. We debunk five myths about choosing a major." url: "https://eliteprep.com/blog/five-common-myths-about-college-majors.html/" image: "https://eliteprep.com/og/post/en/five-common-myths-about-college-majors.html.png" language: "en" datePublished: "2014-02-14T00:14:52.000Z" source: "eliteprep build" --- [College Admissions](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-admissions/) [Resources](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/resources/) # Five Common Myths About College Majors February 13, 2014 [Ethan Sawyer](https://eliteprep.com/blog/five-common-myths-about-college-majors.html/#about-the-author) 2 min read [Explore Elite College Consulting](https://eliteprep.com/consulting/) ![Cartoon of a shirtless man seated holding a syringe while another person in a "Biology" shirt is tattooed by a mechanical arm.](https://eliteprep.com/media/ChoosingAMajorThatMakesYouHappy-1024x737-webp-w400.webp) This post is 12 years old. Test formats, deadlines and admissions policies may have changed since it was published. [See newer posts about College Admissions](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-admissions/) **Myth #1: Applying "undecided" will hurt my college chances** Untrue. Many admissions reps will tell you–and Princeton even affirms it [on its website](https://www.princeton.edu/admission/applyingforadmission/faq/reviewing_the_application/)–that applying as “undecided” won’t affect your chances. And there’s reason to believe them. Bucknell University reports on its website that about a quarter of its accepted students enter as "undecided," while the same is true for [about one third](http://admissions.uoregon.edu/explore/majors) of students at the U of Oregon. And what’s UCLA's most popular major for incoming freshmen? Yup. Undecided. (My friend works in the admissions office there; she told me.) **Myth #2: Once I've picked a major I have to stick with it.** Nope. According to the [National Center for Education Statistics](https://nces.ed.gov/), almost 80% of students change their majors at least once. (I changed mine twice.) So, chances are, you’ll change your major too. **Myth #3: My major is my career.** Not necessarily. - Anecdotal evidence: During a workshop I led I once asked a room full of about 100 adults, "How many of you changed your major in college?" Almost all raised their hands. "And how many of you are currently working in a career that's directly related to what you majored in?" One hand stayed up. - Hard numbers: according to [a recent report](http://libertystreeteconomics.newyorkfed.org/2013/05/do-big-cities-help-college-graduates-find-better-jobs.html), only 27 percent of college grads work in a job that matches their major. ![A rolled diploma with a red ribbon, reading "Diploma" and "the degree of Bachelor of Arts, Cum Laude"](https://media.eliteprep.com/choosing-college-major-ftr-webp-w400.webp) **Myth #4: If I get a humanities or liberal arts degree I’ll be “unemployed and unemployable” because I won’t have any marketable skills.** Nope. [One recent study](http://chronicle.com/article/How-Liberal-Arts-Majors-Fare/144133/) suggests, in fact, that over the long haul humanities and social science majors out-earn those who went through professional and pre-professional programs. One reason, suggests Danielle Moss Lee, president and CEO of the Harlem Education Activities Fund, is that many graduates in more practical fields may find their skills are outdated within 5-10 years, while liberal arts students have the chance to invest in skills like writing that will be useful to them throughout their careers. If you’re interested, Ellen McCulloch-Lovell makes the case for a liberal arts degree [in The Huffington Post](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ellen-mcculloch-lovell/liberal-arts-degree_b_3053321.html). **Myth #5: At some point I’ll have to decide what I want to be when I grow up.** As Mary Schmich said in [that awesome Fatboy Slim](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sTJ7AzBIJoI) song: "Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives; some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't." About the author ## Ethan Sawyer Ethan Sawyer is a writer, teacher, speaker, and voice actor who taught at Elite Educational Institute and coordinated the Elite Community Scholars Program. [All articles by Ethan Sawyer](https://eliteprep.com/blog/author/ethan-sawyer/) ## Free Tools for This Topic - [College roadmap by grade](https://eliteprep.com/college-roadmap/) - [GPA calculator](https://eliteprep.com/gpa-calculator/) ## More on This Topic [All posts in College Admissions](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-admissions/) ![Stacked bundles of $100 bills banded with $10,000 currency straps](https://media.eliteprep.com/stacks-of-cash-webp-w400.webp) [College Admissions](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-admissions/) ### [Five FAFSA Myths – Busted](https://eliteprep.com/blog/five-fafsa-myths-busted.html/) January 15, 2014 Ethan Sawyer ![A man in a suit gestures while talking with a student seated across from him in a living room with red sofas.](https://media.eliteprep.com/interview-img-webp-w400.webp) [College Admissions](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-admissions/) ### [College Interviews: How much do they really matter? (Part 1 of 2)](https://eliteprep.com/blog/college-interviews-how-much-do-they-really-matter-part-1-of.html/) January 24, 2014 Ethan Sawyer ![An open book with fanned pages in front of a blurred world globe](https://media.eliteprep.com/open%2Bcourse%2Bcatalog-webp-w400.webp) [College Admissions](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-admissions/) ### [How Choosing Your Classes Ahead of Time Can Help You Get into the Right College](https://eliteprep.com/blog/how-choosing-your-classes-ahead-of-time-can-help-you-get-int.html/) February 26, 2014 Ethan Sawyer ![Facebook menu with Settings, Logout and Search tabs, and "Privacy Settings" circled in red below "Account Settings".](https://media.eliteprep.com/Facebook-Privacy-Settings-webp-w400.webp) [College Admissions](https://eliteprep.com/blog/category/college-admissions/) ### [Why You Should Probably Set Your Facebook Settings to Private After Sending in Your Common App](https://eliteprep.com/blog/why-you-should-probably-set-your-facebook-settings-to-privat.html/) December 6, 2013 Ethan Sawyer ## Ready to Study This with an Instructor? 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