<p>As the spouse of a professor in a STEM discipline, I can say it breaks his heart every year to see kids fall apart when they are forced by their parents to take classes for which they are just not suited. For the longest time it was “pre-med” (not even a real major at most schools) - parents would refuse to pay for school if their child wasn’t going to become a doctor. Now, with the rising costs and diminishing payback of medical school, it’s all about engineering. These kids try to please their parents, but end up a mess (even to the point of a nervous breakdown) trying to succeed in classes that don’t work with their academic strengths. Better to focus on how to pay for college while amassing the least debt, and let the student explore and find a major that suits them. Many folks end up working in fields completely different from their majors anyway (I have a degree in Math, but work in Web Marketing. Some of the best computer programmers I know have degrees in Music).</p>