At the beginning of the second semester, many students are beginning to think about what the next big step is after highschool, and how they can achieve their dream career. Juniors and Seniors especially are looking into their options, considering the different majors at the universities they want to apply to next fall. Many colleges that can get them there are highly impacted, which is where there’s an overflow of requests from applications for a desired major, and college admissions have to limit the amount of people to be in the program. This can cause students to feel discouraged about their chance of acceptance.
However there are alternative programs to these majors that may give students a better chance of being accepted into their top colleges while allowing them to achieve the career path they desire. Here are some popular careers that are of high interest and the alternative majors that can combat each competitive major highly selected for each one.
Doctor/Nurse
At a majority of schools, Pre-med/nursing is one of the most competitive majors to get into due to the high interest rate among students. Although many of the schools like California State University of Long Beach, University of California Los Angeles, and University of California Berkeley have competitive nursing programs, some alternative majors along that program can be likely easier to get into.
- Patient care
- Biology
- Biochemistry
- Human physiology
- Medical assistance
- Anatomy
Veterinarian
For anyone interested in becoming a veterinarian, the first major option that correlates the best is Animal Science, which can be impacted. If you want to find the best bet at getting into your dream school with this pathway, the most helpful alternative majors are shown below.
- Environmental Science
- Wildlife Biology
- Zoology
- Education
- Basic subjects such as (English, Math, etc)
- Child Development
- Sociology
- Biochemistry
Teacher
Getting into a program to become a teacher includes all different majors to choose from. It depends on which audience you want to teach and the subject. If you consider wanting to teach a subject you’re interested in, majoring in that subject itself shouldn’t be a worry of rejection. However, if your subject as a major is impacted in any way, the best route to take is to minor in that subject, and major in the following below instead.
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- Education
- Basic subjects such as (English, Math, etc)
- Child Development
- Sociology
Lawyer
Becoming a lawyer requires an interest in developing critical thinking skills and logical reasoning in an argument. An extracurricular that’s helpful with these skills is Mock Trial or Speech and Debate since it gives you the chance to get somewhat of a courtroom experience. Both Criminal Justice and Political Science majors are hard to get into at schools like University of California Irvine and Fresno State for this career pathway. It’s recommended that people who want to become a lawyer should explore any of the majors listed below.
- History
- English
- Arts and Humanities
- Communications
- Sociology
Physical Therapist
Becoming a physical therapist takes a lot of knowledge about how the human body functions. This will include many science courses that will be required to take with your selected major. Kinesiology is the most fitting major for this career since it focuses on the physical components of how bodies move. Kinesiology is impacted at schools like Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, University of California Santa Cruz, and University of Michigan. Trying out any of the majors below instead will give you the same benefits for a career in this field.
- Biology
- Human Physiology
- Health Science
- Exercise science
- Athletic Training
- Anatomy
Restaurant Owner
Interested in owning a business? Maybe a restaurant could be a good start if you have interest in food preparation as well. If you have considered it, the best place to start would be getting a job at a restaurant. It not only takes a business plan, but develops leadership skills and cooperation. Any business or economics major to pursue this job is considered impacted in University of Southern California and University of California Los Angeles. However, if you specifically want to go into the food industry with this type of career, it’s highly recommended to take any of the majors below that not only aren’t as impacted, but will still teach you ways to manage meal plans.
- Culinary Arts
- Hospitality Management
- Nutrition
- Food Science
- Economics
Therapist
Anyone interested in becoming a therapist will most likely take Psychology, which is one of the most highly impacted majors at all universities. Depending on what your college options are, majoring in any of the below will still give you the chance to take different psychology classes that will lead you to the right path you want to take.
- Sociology
- Child Development & Family Studies
- Health Science
- Human science
- Anthropology
- Neuroscience
Writer
If you’re interested in becoming a writer, you most likely have a passion for English. Having passionate knowledge of the English language will direct the route you want to take with writing. Journalism is the most suitable and popular major for this pathway, but is considered competitive to get into at schools like Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, University of California Santa Cruz, University of Southern California, and Stanford University. If you decide to look into the Creative Writing major, University of California Riverside has a great program for it, and will give you many opportunities to become a writer, including the rest of the following.
- English
- Communications
- Literature
- English language/Composition
- Creative writing
Sports Coach
Whether you want to coach sports in school or the sports industry, this field requires you to study the science of the human body and sports management. Kinesiology is a popular chosen major for this profession. But since it’s still a difficult major to get into, it’s best to choose any of the following below to understand the same material.
- Health Science
- Sports Science
- Sports Management
Broadcaster/News Reporter
If you’ve watched the news, you’d get an idea of what a reporter does. If you’ve been interested in this career you’ll have to maintain good communication skills, stamina, and research skills. It’s also important to be intrigued in what’s going on in the world to keep everyone informed daily about important events. Journalism is a common major people will apply to when pursuing this career. Since it’s heavily impacted, there’s many other alternative majors that will allow one to develop journalistic skills.
- Broadcast production
- Media Writing
- Communications
- Media and Cultural Studies
Through heavy research, there’s a website link that is also helpful to check out different majors and colleges that work best with each other. Every pathway is unique and we encourage anyone applying next fall to make the best out of their options!
https://www.collegemajors101.com/
