If you’re interested in the combination of environmental studies, sciences, policy, and anthropology, you may want to pursue a course of study in environmental justice. Environmental justice is a lens applied to environmentalism that incorporates principles of social justice into the bigger question of sustainability.
Best Colleges for Media Studies
Best Colleges for Jewish Studies
Jewish studies isn’t just for those who want to go on to become clergy or even for those who are interested in prayer. But it’s a solid major for any who’s pre-law or just largely interested in studying Jewish history and practice from an academic perspective. And most (all but two) schools that made our list approach Jewish Studies from an academic lens, as opposed to one that involves prayer.
Best Colleges if you want to be a Lawyer
The requirements to apply to law school are less specific than for medical school programs, so “pre-law” is more of an idea than it is a strict program. At most undergraduate colleges, and all of the top ones, there is no such program as ‘pre-law,’ but there are some things that undergraduate students can do to make themselves more attractive to law schools when it comes time to apply.
Best Colleges if You Want to Become a Teacher
Best Colleges if you Want to be a Banker
If you’re considering a career in finance, you don’t need a degree in finance, economics, or banking — but having one will help you skip a few rungs of the ladder after graduation. Majoring in a finance topic will give you priority for internships and you’ll be an early pick in interviews. This is for two reasons. First, you’ll have the book smarts for the job. Perhaps even more importantly, being on a finance track will put you on the path of the types of people you need to build relationships with to succeed in finance professional. Being a banker is all about relationships, and it’s never too early to start building the right ones.
Best Colleges if you Want to be a Doctor
Best Colleges for Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical engineering is at the nexus of medicine and engineering. Professionals in the field are involved in pursuing advances in technology and medicine that improve — and save — human lives as doctors, inventors, engineers, and more. They are responsible for leaps forward in human society, and are literally changing the world.
Best Colleges for Geology
Geology is the study of rocks, but it’s also a lot more than that. Students who earn a degree in geology or a related field can go on to work for mining operators, in the fossil fuel and alternative fuel industries, for ecological groups, for engineering firms, as educators, and for governments. Understanding rocks is literally understanding our earth, and so there is a lot you can do with it.
Best Colleges for Social Justice
If you’re interested in current events from a human rights perspective, the history behind major human societal challenges, or are considering going into the legal field, you may be thinking about studying social justice or a related subject in college. A major, minor, concentration, or program in social justice sets you up to better understand the challenges the world is facing — and how to address them — whether from a nonprofit, advocacy group, governmental agency, or private practice.
Best Colleges if you Want to Start a Business
If you already know you want to start a business, where you go to college really matters — especially if you want to build a big business with investors, dozens or even hundreds of employees, and a big fancy office with a big fancy chair. Even if you aren’t eyeing that comfy chair behind a big desk, if you want to start a business in the next few years you should plan to build up your entrepreneurial credentials while pursuing your undergrad.
Best Colleges for Asian History
If you’re thinking of studying Asia in college, you’re going to need to narrow it down a little. Saying that Asia is a big place is an understatement. Picking a geographic or thematic concentration helps to narrow it down, directing your attention and bringing passions into focus. You’re probably also going to need to study a language associated with your area of focus, so you should keep that in mind when making your decision.
The Best Colleges for your Astrological Sign: Leo
Lions and tigers and bears, oh my? Have no fear, another astrology post is here! This time featuring our most ferocious sun sign: the leo. If you haven’t been following along on our astrological dive, we’ve been conducting an experiment of sorts in college lists. A common consideration in constructing a college list, other than academic viability, is social fit. We think astrology provides excellent categories for different types of social preferences and instincts. So, we’ve been going through each sun sign and establishing which colleges might feel like home for them. This process is strictly experimental and we by no means believe that astrology should be a serious or legitimate factor when you are deciding which schools to apply to. Consider this a fun break from your more serious considerations.
Best Colleges for African History
Africa is a continent full of thousands of cultures and languages, which is a lot to cover in one major. If you’re considering studying Africa in college, you’ll want to look for programs that offer opportunities to niche down and zoom in, whether it be through a geographic focus, an issues-based focus, or another lens. We also recommend looking for programs that prioritize language studies and study abroad, and both of those are game changers when it comes to studying a place from afar — especially one you may have never visited!
Best Colleges for Foreign Languages
Some people are simply really good at languages. They immerse themselves and gain proficiency rapidly, and some even collect languages like they’re arcade prizes. If you are one of those people, you may be considering majoring in a foreign language (or two!) in college. College language programs aim towards a high level of proficiency or even fluency in reading, writing, speaking, and cultural awareness.
Best Colleges for African American Studies
African American studies, often a subset of an Africana Studies program, is the study of the African diaspora with a focus on the Americas, especially the United States. As a major, it is interdisciplinary by nature, pulling from history, contemporary studies, cultural studies, political studies, and more. Students interested in majoring in African American Studies should look for programs led by contemporary thought leaders and with research centers connected to the department.
Best Colleges for Public Relations
Public Relations, sometimes called Strategic Communications, is a strong major for students interested in communications, marketing, brand representation and building, crisis management, or anything else related to the building, maintaining, and marketing of a brand. It is also, however, a fairly rare major at the undergraduate level. Most colleges only offer Public Relations, or a differently-named equivalent, at the graduate level. If you don’t want to wait, you’ll have to do some digging.
Best Undergraduate Colleges for Investment Banking Jobs
Investment Banking is a great path for those who want one thing: intellectually stimulating work money. It’s not the right industry for everyone, but those that want to pursue it tend to be hungry and ready to do what it takes. We conducted a Linkedin search of current employees at the top banks in the country and searched by school to see which ones were top feeders to each. (*Disclaimer: employees appeared in our search if they had the school name on their profile. It’s possible some attended graduate school or even received certifications.)
Best Colleges for European History
Europe is big. That may be an absurd sentence, but it’s worth stating twice: Europe is big. If you are looking to study Europe in college, there’s a lot of literal ground to cover. As you look into major programs, you’ll see that some programs focus on a particular geographic area, others gravitate around particular social issues, while still others are rooted firmly in language.
Best Colleges for Oceanography
Oceanography — as is apt for the name — is the study of all things ocean. If you pursue oceanography, often also called Marine Science or Marine Biology, as a major, you’ll be studying animals, plants, geology, water composition, how water moves, and how water changes. Lots of colleges offer it as a major, minor, or concentration, but we think the best place to study oceanography is close to the ocean. You don’t have to, of course. People study outer space from earth, after all, but since you can live out your Finding Nemo dreams, why not do so?