Like 1,774 other freshmen this year, Haley Voltz entered the University as a student in DGS, unsure of what she wanted to major in. As the fall semester closes, she is now leaning toward majoring in accounting — something she enjoyed in high school.

Though she is unsure whether she will still continue to be passionate about the subject, she said there is an important reason why she is sticking to accounting. 

“I know you make good money with accounting,” Voltz said. “I want something that will keep me financially stable in the future.”

Choosing a major primarily for job security is not unique among freshman this year. According to the ACT’s College Choice Report, only one out of three incoming freshmen in 2013 chose a major that matched their interests.

The study compared the majors ACT-tested students chose to their ACT Interest Inventory score. Around 32 percent of students chose a major that was labeled a “poor fit” with their interest.

“(This trend) has gotten more and more prevalent because of the economic situation and also the rising cost of higher education,” said Keith Marshall, executive director of the Campus Center for Advising and Academic Services.

Marshall explained that many times parents put pressure on students to choose certain career paths because they “don’t want to spend $30,000 a year on something that doesn’t seem like it’s preparing you for a career or a profession.”

For this reason, many freshmen end up going into majors in fields like business, biology and engineering, despite the fact that they do not have a particular interest or aptitude for these areas, Marshall said.

While it is common for students to choose majors that do not match their interests, it can have negative effects on their academic performance. ACT research indicates that students who are interested in their majors are more likely to stay in their majors, stay in college and graduate on time.

After exploring different majors this year, Sarah Goldberg, freshman in DGS, thinks psychology would be a major she will enjoy.

“I’m pretty passionate about psychology,” Goldberg said. “It’s one of the subjects where I actually want to study for it, and I actually pay attention in class.”

However, she admits that job security is a major deciding factor when choosing a career path.

Marshall said job opportunities are based on many different elements besides academic preparation. He also said the idea that liberal arts degrees do not get jobs is untrue.

“A common refrain you hear is, ‘I’m good at math and people told me I should do engineering.’ Well, being good at math and actually enjoying what engineers do are two different things,” Marshall said.

The University differs from most liberal arts colleges and even some Big Ten schools in that freshmen declare a major upon admission. Other universities offer the option of declaring a major sophomore year. Marshall said this is why he finds DGS to be an important option.

The College of DGS has the second highest number of freshmen at the University, outnumbering even the freshman in Engineering. This might not be surprising, as research conducted by Penn State and other institutions suggests that 80 percent of incoming freshmen are undecided about their majors, even if they have declared a major. And about 50 percent of students change their majors at some point during their undergraduate careers.

Marshall said this is why encouraging passion over job security is important.

“(Advisers) do focus mostly on the passion,” he said. “Because, as I say repeatedly, four years is a long time to study something you don’t like.”

Zila can be reached at [email protected].