Interested in Testing Out Potential Majors While in High School?

Are you a high school student who already has set your sights on a certain career choice? Or, perhaps you’re simply curious to see if deepening your interest in a subject might translate into a college major. Or, maybe you have a passion for jobs that make a difference in the world, such as psychology, entrepreneurship, or medicine. Did you know that starting to narrow down your choice of major while you’re still in high school is the best path forward? So how can you start narrowing down options?

High school enrichment courses are a great choice if you want to test out your interest in a subject before college. Even better, distinguished universities across the country are offering these pre-college programs in subjects that are considered top majors.

Here’s a look at a variety of universities across the country, and the pre-college online programs that support some of their top 5 majors, as reported by U.S. News & World Report. 

Georgetown University

Georgetown University is one of the world’s leading academic and research institutions, offering a unique educational experience that prepares the next generation of global citizens to lead and make a difference in the world. Lucky for driven high school students, they offer a number of pre-college online courses that reflect their top majors.  

If government, finance, or international relations are potential majors that interest you, Georgetown has notable options in pre-college online courses just for you:

• Government: You can choose from either U.S. politics or international law. In U.S. politics, you will examine how the U.S. government addresses topics like climate change, economic inequality, and racial justice. In international law, you will delve into how laws work across an international landscape.
• Finance: If you think finance might be the major for you, Georgetown’s investing course is a great fit. This fascinating course navigates the complex world of finance by breaking down the basic mechanics of financial markets.
• International Studies and Relations: international relations is more relevant today than ever. If you are interested in international relations, politics, law, economics or just curious about how our world works, this course is a must.

Rice University

Rice is a community of curious thinkers, passionate dreamers and energetic doers who believe that improving the world demands more than bold thought and brave action. It takes unconventional wisdom. Luckily Rice University offers a glimpse into their elite education through online college prep courses for teens. Here are some top picks:

• Psychology: In Rice’s psychology course, you’ll take a deep dive into the variety of specialties and career paths available in the field. You’ll explore how basic tools, such as research and statistics, support insights that are possible when you apply the methods of psychology.
• Economics: If you think you might be interested in studying economics or business as a major, check out Rice’s precollege online course in economics. In this course, you’ll discover what happens to businesses when markets fluctuate, and why it is essential for industries to know how economics relates to business.
• Biology: Physiology is a sub-discipline of biology that pertains to the inner workings of a living organism. Rice’s physiology course provides a deep dive into the nervous, muscular, cardiovascular, and respiratory systems and how they work in harmony.

Wake Forest University

Wake Forest is a university where they foster a student’s curiosity and engage in learning opportunities vibrant with possibility. Here are three of their top 5 majors, and the pre-college online courses relevant to each:

• Business, Management, Marketing: Business is big at Wake Forest, where you can experience an online pre-college course centering on how big-name companies like Netflix and Apple apply tools of innovation, how they create products, and how they compete.
• Biological and Biomedical Sciences: If you have your sights set on biology or medicine majors in college, Wake Forest provides a number of courses for you to experience. Their pre-college online courses for high school students in medicine include women’s medicine, sports medicine, heart medicine, bioscience, and cancer.
• Psychology: Interested in psychology? This course helps you separate common sense from true psychological insight. Learn how your brain forms perceptions, and how easily it can be tricked. 

Case Western Reserve University

Case Western Reserve University is a community of innovators, knowledge-seekers and groundbreakers. As a leading national research university, they offer ample opportunities for you to excel. So which of their top 5 majors sync up with their pre-college online courses for high school students?

• Biological and Biomedical Sciences: In CWRU’s biomedical engineering, you’ll discover the nuances of biocompatibility, explore artificial intelligence’s increasing impact, and learn how engineering and design help advance medicine. Another relevant biology course offered is astrophysics and evolutionary biology. In this fascinating course, you’ll take the ultimate tour of the Cosmic Zoo: from the Big Bang to the emergence of life on earth to the solar system and ecosystem.
• Computer and Information Sciences: Do you see yourself being part of the fast-changing world of computer science one day? In this course, you’ll take a deep dive into all aspects of computer science, from hardware and operating systems to various web applications. 
• Social Sciences: Do you have an entrepreneurial mindset and want to make a difference? In this social entrepreneurship course, you’ll discover how social entrepreneurs get started, build a value proposition, find customers, solve problems, and create a team. 

University of Rochester

The University of Rochester has a long tradition of breaking boundaries in education. They are known for their pursuit of new adventures in thinking — whether in science, engineering, healthcare, or the arts. This tradition continues with their college prep classes.

1. Health Professions and Related Programs: Rochester has a number of pre-college online courses relevant to health professions: U.S. healthcare, orthopedic surgery, personalized medicine.
2. Engineering: If you are interested in a potential major in engineering, there are several interesting STEM programs for high school students. In the biomedical engineering course for example, you’ll learn how to marry the techniques of engineering to biology and medicine. Identify the stages of engineering design; how to measure, collect and display data; and delve into topics around medical innovation.