Cappex College Blog

Cappex has updated the “Intended Majors” section of the profile. The new options let you get even more specific about what you are looking for from colleges. This, in turn, lets colleges seek out the students that are the right fit for their programs. In fact, many of these new majors reflect specific interests from schools across the country. These majors are among the fastest growing fields.

So if you have changed your mind about what you want to study, or couldn’t find just what you were looking for last time, try one of these majors on for size:

• Dietetics
• Computer Graphics
• Film & Video Production
• Visual Communications
• Pre-law
• Pre-med
• Multimedia & Web Design
• Media Production
• Interior Design
• Information Technology
• Forensic Science
• Fashion Merchandising
• Fashion Marketing
• Fashion Design
• Fashion

This one’s for Elizabeth, who asks: “Does anyone know particulars about fashion design/ marketing degrees?”

There are several bachelor and associates degrees, and even a few master programs, available for students in various aspects of the fashion world.

Which area of fashion is best for you will depend on your interests. You can earn a bachelor’s degree in fashion marketing or merchandising and design; you can earn an associate’s degree in those areas as well. These programs vary in focus. Some are keyed to the business side of the fashion world. Other programs are more technical, focusing on design and the use of different materials.

There are fewer master’s degree programs offered, so your best bet may be an undergrad degree in your specialty and masters in a related field. Of course, you could always get two undergrad degrees.

Cappex works with many schools that offer all of these programs. In fact, these programs are so popular that Cappex.com now includes “fashion” on our list of intended areas of study. There are many schools across the country looking for students just like you. Make sure you selected fashion when you set up your profile and then be sure to check your message center. New colleges are being added all the time so check back often!

A little while ago the New York Times had a story about high schools demanding that ninth graders choose a major. The story starts in New Jersey, but includes similar programs in Mississippi, Florida and South Carolina.

“Starting this fall, freshmen at Dwight Morrow High School here in Bergen County must declare a major that will determine what electives they take for four years and be noted on their diplomas.”

The majors offered vary from school to school, but may include sports management, fine and performing arts, health sciences and communications.

According to a UCLA study, 7.2 percent of incoming college freshmen are undecided. Once you get to get college you can always change your major. But changing majors may delay graduation which may cost you money. So should high school students pick a major?

Does this add to the college search stress? Or, do you think deciding on a college major will be easier once you graduate?

Isn’t YouTube a place to visit when you’re avoiding homework?

This semester at Pitzer College in Claremont, Calif. 30 students are enrolled a class called “Learning From YouTube.” Their first homework assignment? Leave a comment on a video.

The class doesn’t just study YouTube and digital media culture. Each class is filmed and then uploaded to, you guessed it, YouTube.

Here’s what class creater Alexandra Juhasz, professor of media studies at Pitzer College, said about the curriculum:

“It’s a serious class where we think critically about the daily culture and questions about a variety of issues as well as aspects of community and debate.”
What are your thoughts on the class? Do you spend enough hours on YouTube without having homework on the site?

Fortune Small Business recently looked at a growing trend among business schools: Entrepreneurship classes. According to the September issue of the magazine “nearly 3,000 schools now boast classes in entrepreneurship, up tenfold since the mid-1980s.”

Why the growth? More people want to build their own business, and the Internet now makes this a viable option for many. The availability of entrepreneurship classes may grow even more. Business is the most popular major among college students with a declared major. The U.S. Department of Education reports that almost 20 percent students are majoring in business.

Check out FSB’s video on the entrepreneurship classes, and their listing of the top schools for entrepreneurs.

So what about it future business majors? Are you still aiming for the traditional MBA or do you want more?

P.S. We’ve got a business scholarship. Recipients may or may not take entrepreneurship classes.

There are ample reasons to become a nurse, but we’ll start with the 500-lb. gorilla in the waiting room. A report by Vanderbilt University projects a shortage of 340,000 registered nurses by the year 2020.

And then there’s this paragraph from the U.S. Department of Labor: “In fact, registered nurses are projected to create the second largest number of new jobs among all occupations.”

In short, nurses are in high demand. That’s good news for future nursing majors. A variety of factors are contributing to demand: Current nurses retiring, the aging baby boomer population. The bottom line is that for years to come nurses will be highly sought after across the country. In fact, many schools on Cappex area also looking for nursing majors, especially male nursing majors.

Here’s some more good news: Cappex is offering a college scholarship specifically for nursing majors. The deadline to apply is Sept. 30.

In this section of the Cappex Blog we’ll tell you about unique majors, the top schools for study and which fields are producing the hottest jobs. Enjoy!