Big Ideas: What If College Students Didn't Declare a Major But a Purpose?

When I graduated from the University of Michigan in 1996, I didn’t have a major. Instead, I spent my four years as an undergraduate student gaining clarity on my purpose: taking courses and engaging in experiences that helped me develop the knowledge and abilities to harness it.

A new Imperative study of university students at three major colleges found that 31% of college students today are interested in replacing declaring a “major” with declaring a “purpose” and selecting courses based on obtaining knowledge that would help them build their careers around it. (full study)

College majors are useful for vocational schools and for students wanting to become academics, but for the majority of students they create a false and shallow decision that has little impact on their lives after graduation. A recent study found that only 27% of college graduates are working in a job that even relates to their major.

My purpose, as it emerged in college, is to empower everyone to work with purpose and in the process become positive agents for social change. I took classes in a wide range of fields to understand how to achieve this purpose — from organizational psychology to economics to experiential learning to anthropology to accounting. I also signed up for a range of experiences, from studying abroad to volunteering which helped me build my self-awareness and ability to pursue my purpose after graduation.

In the years after graduation, I have credited being able to define my purpose in college for my success in work. I founded the Taproot Foundation and helped connect hundreds of thousands of people to purpose in their work around the world. In 2009, I returned to Ann Arbor to receive the highest recognition bestowed on an alum — The LS&A Humanitarian Award.

What we have learned at my newest venture, Imperative, is that people who are purpose-oriented out-perform their colleagues by every measure. They are not only more likely to be high performers, they are also much more fulfilled at work. More importantly, their quality of life is higher and they even live longer.

The University of Michigan was way ahead of its time in allowing the flexibility to empower students to declare a purpose rather than a major. There is clear evidence now that this innovation is quite likely in the best interest of students and employers. And with 31% of students interested in this approach, the market appears ready for this idea to go mainstream.

If you could go back and spend your four years in college focused on your purpose, how would you design the experience? What courses would you take? What internships would you seek? What extracurriculars would you participate in?

If you didn't declare a purpose in college it isn't too late. At Imperative we offer a diagnostic to help you declare your purpose and align your work with your true north. 

#BigIdeas

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Aaron Hurst is an Ashoka Fellow, award-winning entrepreneur and globally recognized leader in fields of purpose at work and social innovation. He is the CEO of Imperative and founder of the Taproot Foundation. Aaron is the author of The Purpose Economy and has written for or been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg TV and Fast Company.