Originally Posted at Discoveries
Many different factors go into deciding your college major — your school, your skills, and your social network can all influence what field of study you choose. This is an important decision, as social scientists have shown it has consequences well into the life course — not only do college majors vary widely in terms of earnings across the life course, but income gaps between fields are often larger than gaps between those with college degrees and those without them. Natasha Quadlin finds that this gap is in many ways due to differences in funding at the start of college that determine which majors students choose.

Quadlin draws on data from the Postsecondary Transcript Study, a collection of over 700 college transcripts from students who were enrolled in postsecondary education in 2012. Focusing on students’ declared major during their freshman year, Quadlin analyzes the relationship between the source of funding a student gets — loans, grants, or family funds — and the type of major the student initially chooses — applied versus academic and STEM versus non-STEM. She finds that students who pay for college with loans are more likely to major in applied non-STEM fields, such as business and nursing, and they are less likely to be undeclared. However, students whose funding comes primarily from grants or family members are more likely to choose academic majors like sociology or English and STEM majors like biology or computer science.
In other words, low- and middle-income students with significant amounts of loan debt are likely to choose “practical” applied majors that more quickly result in full-time employment. Conversely, students with grants and financially supportive parents, regardless of class, are more likely to choose what are considered riskier academic and STEM tracks that are more challenging and take longer to turn into a job. Since middle- to upper-class students are more likely to get family assistance and merit-based grants, this means that less advantaged students are most likely to rely on loans. The problem, Quadlin explains, is that applied non-STEM majors have relatively high wages at first, but very little advancement over time, while academic and STEM majors have more barriers to completion but experience more frequent promotions. The result is that inequalities established at the start of college are often maintained throughout people’s lives.
Jacqui Frost is a PhD candidate in sociology at the University of Minnesota and the managing editor at The Society Pages. Her research interests include non-religion and religion, culture, and civic engagement.
Comments 24
Laurie Brown — December 3, 2017
It is actually demanded by one form of financial aid, or at least was back in the 70s. I was under 21 and my father was on Social Security already, which meant I was eligible for a monthly check if I was in school full time, but ONLY if I was in a technical or vocational program. So I ended up in computer tech/electronics instead of the literature or history or psychology that really interested me.
Sharon Rema — February 12, 2019
Awesome write up. It is true that college students choose their major considering many facts. And among them, their social classes have huge influences. Basically, lower-middle-class students choose such a major so that they can have a good job quickly depending on this subject. This realty is existing for years. I had a passion for academic writing. So I choose business as my major so that I can enter the writing industry. You can check out my blog here. Now I think my decision was right, Anyway, Thank you for sharing this good content.
Luiz Santos Ferreira — July 12, 2019
Eu concordo com você. Embora muitos fatores funcionem por trás da escolha de uma faculdade, a classe social tem uma influência importante aqui. A decisão da faculdade maior depende muito da classe social dos alunos. Sendo um escritor acadêmico, tenho felizmente íntima relação com os estudantes universitários. Como eles comprar trabalho academico da plataforma com a qual estou engajada, posso literalmente entender quais fatores influenciam suas decisões.
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