How can my child decide on an academic interest?

If your child is like most, he or she may have several academic interests. How are students supposed to select a major and demonstrate interest when they’re curious about two or more subjects?

Encourage your child to further explore his or her current academic interests and consider the opportunities for continued study through a college major. Below are some exercises that will allow your child to get a more in-depth understanding of an academic subject and how it relates to career opportunities in the field.

• Visit colleges’ websites. Explore their list of majors and departments. Many colleges will have several majors housed under each department. If your child is interested in biology, then have her explore the website of a large research university, such as Cornell University, to explore the different specialties and ways to study biology as a major. Students will likely discover new majors and academic fields that they never knew existed.

• Take a class. Visit your local community college and inquire about taking a college-level class. Look for special courses that are not offered at your child’s high school. If the community college doesn’t have any classes of interest to your child, try finding a MOOC (massive open online course) offered by edX, Coursera or Udacity. These courses can be taken from the comfort of your home and in a variety of subjects. Most are free.

• Engage in regular reading and stay abreast of what’s happening in the field. Visit a blog, subscribe to a newsletter, magazine or journal. Encourage your child to stay engaged in the subject and current events about the subject.

• Do an internship. Encourage your child to explore possibilities at local colleges, universities, companies, nonprofits or elsewhere. Even if an organization or university isn’t offering a formal internship, it doesn’t hurt to send an email inquiring about a short-term volunteer opportunity.

Exploring and narrowing down academic interests is a good preliminary step to gaining deeper and more meaningful extracurricular experiences. In turn, with clearer interests, your child will be able to submit a more focused and compelling college application.