14 college majors people say they regret the most (2024)

FAQs

What is the most regretted college major? ›

The most regretted college majors are reportedly Journalism, Sociology, Liberal Arts/General Studies, Communications, Education, Marketing Management and Research, Medical/Clinical Assisting, Political Science and Government, Biology, and English Language and Literature.

As of 2021, nearly 40% of adults who went to college regret their choice of major, according to a Federal Reserve survey. Humanities and arts majors were the most likely to rue their decisions, with nearly half (48%) saying they would choose a different field of study today.

Twenty-nine percent of college-age Americans say college is both a waste of money, and that a college education isn't necessary to get a good job.

Here's the truth: for some people the answer to “What should I major in?” will matter very much and for others it won't matter at all. No global, one-size-fits-all approach is helpful. The only thing that matters is whether major selection is going to matter for you.

College degree (or equivalent): 41% Personal details, such as age, location or name: 39.5% High school details: 39.2%

What is the hardest major ever? ›

You are not alone. Many people experience the same thoughts during their college career at least once. It is common for people to switch their academic path and oftentimes their institution as well. Approximately 80 percent of college students in the United States change their major at least once.

With respect to attrition, 10% of STEM master's students left their program of study after six months, 17% left after one year, and 23% left after two years. By contrast, 10% of MBA students left their program of study after two years.

According to a research finding, college students are stressed by study workload and assignment deadlines. In addition to these monetary difficulties, parental anxiety and impractical hopes also cause stress among students.

Yes, college is the transitionary time between your K-12 schooling and your exit from an academic setting for the first time in your life. You have more freedom than you've ever had before, and more responsibility, without (many of the) bills and work schedules and other consequences of being a full-time adult.

The survey of 1,000 U.S. college students and recent graduates of all ages, commissioned by Neighbor.com and conducted by Pollfish, found that six in 10 (61%) have less than $1,000 saved up currently. Moreover, nearly half the poll (47%) either don't have a savings account or have one with no money in it.

What are easy majors that pay well? ›

And remember those critical skills employers are looking for? Having a degree demonstrates that you have those. Many employers are even willing to leave a job unfilled longer so they can fill it with the right degree-qualified candidate. Your future employer cares about your degree, and so should you!

Some employers will ask for a transcript, which means you need to include the exact GPA shown there. However, you may want to include your major GPA if it is higher than your overall GPA as evidence of your competency in your chosen field. You can do this, but label both GPAs to provide clarity to the employer.

Only 53% of employers always check job candidates' education credentials. Slightly more than half of the employers surveyed, 53%, always verify the education credentials listed on a job applicant's resume. Among the rest, 24% sometimes check applicants' education records, while 23% never do.

Common no-no's include lying on your resume about your degree, padding dates to mask employment gaps, exaggerating job titles, embellishing job responsibilities and achievements, claiming sole responsibility for team efforts and even making up fictitious employers.

Here's a statistic that may give some pause: More than half of college graduates over the age of 25 don't work in their field of study, according to a new survey from Intelligent.com.

The hardest degree subjects are Aerospace Engineering, Law, Chartered Accountancy, Architecture, Chemistry, Medicine, Pharmacy, Psychology, Statistics, Nursing, Physics, Astrophysics, Biomedical Engineering, Astronomy, and Dentistry. Let's dive right in, and look at why these courses are the hardest degree subjects.

What is the best major for a girl? ›

You're more interested in your friends' studies

Still, those pangs should disappear pretty quickly, if you're certain about your choice. You're probably in the wrong major if you feel your friends' professors, classes, and projects sound infinitely better than yours. If that's the case, maybe it's time to switch.

For most colleges, choosing “undecided” as your major will not affect your chances of getting accepted. Admissions officers understand that some students won't be ready to commit to a degree path right out of high school.

The top three regretted majors, according to ZipRecruiter, are journalism (87%), sociology (72%), and liberal arts and general studies (72%). The top three regret-free majors, all above 70%, are computer and information sciences, criminology, and engineering.

A nationally representative study, which asked 270 Americans to describe a significant life regret, found the most commonly reported regrets involved romance (19.3%), family (16.9%), education (14.0%), career (13.8%), finance (9.9%), and parenting (9.0%) (Morrison & Roese, 2011).

College majors in the STEM field tend to be the most stressful, such as engineering and architecture. The same is true for many of those in the medical or healthcare field, including nursing and neuroscience. There are also stressful majors from other fields, such as accounting and related areas.

Failing a Masters

A Masters is challenging, but you're still unlikely to fail. For one thing, universities won't admit students who aren't ready and prepared for the course.

What year do most people drop out of college? ›

In four-year institutions, 56% of students tend to drop out after six years (What to Become, 2021). Students aged between 24-29 are most likely to drop out of four-year colleges, as 52.5% of them have already left without a degree (What to Become, 2021).

Postsecondary students from households with incomes in the lowest quarter are 79.3% more likely to dropout than students from the highest quarter-income households. Most college dropouts are between the ages of 35 and 64 years old. 37.1% of individuals aged 25 to 44 years have bachelor's degrees.

It shouldn't surprise you that organic chemistry takes the No. 1 spot as the hardest college course. This course is often referred to as the “pre-med killer” because it actually has caused many pre-med majors to switch their major.

Marketing can be considered as one of the easiest college majors that pay well. Graduates of this major can take on managerial positions in public relations, advertising, retail, and other industries where they can earn between $144,000 to more than $200,000 per year.

What major has the lowest average GPA? ›

Science majors tend to have lower GPAs on average, with chemistry being the major with the lowest average GPA. Meanwhile, education majors earn the highest GPAs on average.