In a startling break with tradition, Boston College has eliminated majors for their freshman class. What’s that, little BC freshman? You’re a history major? Not anymore. As of February, you are officially “undeclared.”

The Heights notes that this will not change the admissions process. However, that the pressures of indecision have made it through the bureaucratic cogs and changed policy is significant.

Boston College’s administrators note that students enter college without having had exposure to many fields. Granted, high schools rarely have the funding to provide that. However, they should better prepare students to make their own decisions, rather than passively following the step-by-step instructions of the school counselor.

It is no secret that the average high school student’s decision-making process is in frightfully bad condition (if you are in need of persuasion, check up on teen pregnancy). Despite this, are courses such as logic or critical thinking offered in high school? No. Are they even a part of the educational reform conversation? Not to speak of. Why not?

We need to start looking for a balance between academic exploration, “openness to new ideas,” and the concrete skills students need to have in order to make the weighty life decisions called for in college. In Europe, students choose their fields much earlier–in some cases as much as five years before American college students begin agonizing.

Clearly, it is not a matter of ability, but of instruction. Our schools could certainly do better by their students, who want to make informed decisions not only in “choosing the right career,” but more importantly, in how to exercise sound judgment in general.