I have written a number of articles suggesting that certain groups of people should not attend college, for example, the poor, the unqualified (whether minorities or not), students whose parents would end up deep in hock, and students who would be more successful going instead to a vocational school.. With fewer student applicants who are doomed-to-failure, or unqualified, or will never be able to repay loans, or who should instead be applying to technical schools, college will be less of a scam and less expensive.

More importantly, with fewer, unnecessary bodies attending, there will finally be room for qualified candidates who today are excluded because of affirmative action or who cannot get student loans because those loans are now going to unqualified students.

But there is one major problem facing all students: picking the right major. There are some solutions. For example, some pre-college programs are available to give high school students a taste of college:

Emory College of Arts and Sciences, The Pre-College Program

The Emory Pre-College Program offers students an opportunity to preview the best of college life: from compelling courses taught by renowned faculty to life on a vibrant campus, from becoming an active participant in the university, local, and global communities to developing friendships with other students from around the world. Emory Pre-College students will experience a challenging college-level academic course, but they will also gain exposure to other academic disciplines, co-curricular and extra-curricular activities, and residential college life.

Pre-college may help prevent some of the 85 percent of students who think they know what they want to do but end up changing their mind once they are a year or two in college. Better still would be speed-college. Because many students change their major at least three times during their college career (about 80 percent of all high school students who plan to attend college have no idea what to major in), we should have trial or mock colleges where a student is exposed to various college courses much in the same way that speed-dating is done:

Wikipedia, Speed dating

Usually advance registration is required for speed dating events. Men and women are rotated to meet each other over a series of short "dates" usually lasting from three to eight minutes depending on the organization running the event. At the end of each interval, the organizer rings a bell, clinks a glass, or blows a whistle to signal the participants to move on to the next date. At the end of the event participants submit to the organizers a list of who they would like to provide their contact information to. If there is a match, contact information is forwarded to both parties. Contact information cannot be traded during the initial meeting, in order to reduce pressure to accept or reject a suitor to his or her face.

Likewise, a student attending speed-college would take 25-minute courses in Archeological History, Near Eastern Religions, the Foundations of Robotics, Quantum Mechanics, Industrial Engineering, Network Management, Accounting, Finance, Healthcare Management, Marketing, English Literature, Psychology, Anatomy, Web Development, Macrobiotics, Communications, Criminal Justice, Hospitality, Paralegal Studies, Retail Management, Business Administration, etc.

Over a 4-week, 5-days-a-week, 7-hours-a-day course, a student should be able to view 280 varied college classes. That should give students a good taste of what's available out there and perhaps make them re-think what they'd like to major in. Just as in speed-dating, a man or woman may surprise themselves in enjoying the company of a type of person they never imagined they would like. Exposure to variety and to subjects the students would never think of taking is key here.

The mock, non-credit courses would be much cheaper than regular college courses since there is very little homework or course-grading that instructors need to engage in. It's better than spending tens of thousands of dollars on a major you're not going to finish. Since there are no off-campus social events or activities, high school students will get a taste of college while still having time to work and enjoy the summer vacation.

What's so important about picking the right major before college?

Kazira, A Major Problem

The potential outcomes of a poorly picked college major are –

1. Diminishing interest in classes
2. Change of major after freshman or later year
3. Poor performance in courses
4. More college debt
5. Fewer or no jobs after graduation
6. Frustration, anger, and other adverse psychological outcomes