by Dora Mekouar
Two-thirds of Americans have a major regret relating to their college experience, according to a survey of 250,000 Americans who hold at least a bachelor’s degree.
The biggest regrets for college graduates are the huge debts they’ve racked up. Student loan debt rose from $600 billion a decade ago to more than $1.4 trillion by the end of 2018.
The second most regretted part of the respondents’ college experience is what they majored in. More than one in 10 people say their chosen area of study is their biggest educational regret.
The most regretted majors are in the humanities field. More than one in five people with humanities majors — which includes English and history — say they wish they hadn’t chosen that area of study.
Other fields that college grads regret choosing include physical and life sciences, social sciences, education, communications, and art.
College graduates who focused on technical or high-earnings fields have the fewest regrets, including those who majored in engineering, computer science, and business.
Overall, the study finds that older generations, people with higher education levels, and those who majored in fields with higher earning jobs have the fewest regrets about their college experience.
