<p>Dear son is 16 years old and has always thought he wanted to be a teacher or a psychologist/psychiatrist. Then he was introduced to french and he fell in love so he thought maybe he would like to live there (doing whatever it took, lol). NOW he mentions he may want to be a pharmacist. Since he is only 16 and his interests will most likely keep evolving, I wonder if we should start looking at larger schools with more to offer? I personally think he would do better in a smaller setting, but I would think a larger school would have more options. Is there such a thing as a larger school with a smaller feel? (He has a 3.7uw GPA (honors and AP classes) and has been making around a 1300 on his practice SATs.) Thanks!</p>
<p>What year in school is he? A rising junior? Is it fair to assume that the 1300 is M+CR?</p>
<p>Yes, he will be a junior this year, and the score is math + cr.</p>
<p>“larger school with a smaller feel”
-Miami of Ohio, state public</p>
<p>Your son sounds like an intellectually lively kid with broad talents and many interests. I see no reason for him to feel pressured to pick a major and a profession before he has even had the opportunity to experience most of the disciplines available to him in college. If I were you, my focus would be on looking at a range of good schools that would offer him intellectual stimulation and a good education. If you start looking for specific vocational training programs, you are going to eliminate virtually all of the best schools in the nation.</p>
<p>Some people here seem to think that a kid has to come up with a specific major and a very precise target–urban/rural, large/small, LAC/research uni–and tell people that their lists are scattered. My feeling is that people can like different schools for different reasons, and that there are always going to be trade-offs. Cast a wide net, and see how things shake out is April when the acceptances are in and so is the FA. Sure, there are limits. If you have a strong interest in Art History, Georgia Tech is probably not a good choice. If you have a strong interest in engineering, Sarah Lawrence is probably not a good choice. But there is a lot of ground in between.</p>
<p>Perhaps he can answer the France question by doing a short-term exchange in the near-term or doing study abroad later in college. You might look more into schools with the pre-med/pharmacy programs. Teaching would be easier to switch to later or with a master’s. What level did he think he wanted to teach at? K-12 requires state certification but other options do not. He can also consider teaching ESL in another country after the bachelor degree, before he commits to further education or a career.</p>
<p>It’s good that he’s thinking about it, but at 16 it’s hard to know. So many options . . .</p>