Priority decision is just another name for early action or early decision. In other words, you apply to the school by an early deadline, and you hear back from them earlier than you would if you applied “regular” decision.

When you go to college, you will have at least one major—that is, an area that you specialize in (and what your degree is ultimately in). So, if you want to be a preschool teacher, you might major in early childhood education. If you want to be a fashion designer, you might major in fashion design. Whatever your major, that's the area most of the classes you take will be in. So if you’re a government major, you may have to take at least 10 government classes (or 30 credits) to graduate.

A minor is a lot like a major, except you take fewer courses in that area—usually 4 or 5. All colleges have majors. But depending on where you go and what you major in, you may not be required to have a minor.

Usually, schools offer the same majors and minors. Your minor isn’t within your major—it’s an area separate from it. That said, students often major in something related to or helpful for their major. So if you want to be a political consultant, you might major in political science but minor in business management. Alternatively, you might minor in something totally unrelated to your major. That’s okay — the most important thing is that you choose areas you’re interested in.

Good luck!

A double major just means having two majors. Sound simple? Unfortunately, it's not. You can pick just about anything you want, from chemistry and physics to biology and English. Keep in mind, however, that a double major in biology and English may take longer than a double major in chemistry and physics because the course requirements are so different. Besides picking your majors, you also need to figure out if you will get one degree (a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science, for instance), two separate degrees, or a combination degree (such as a BAS, which is a BA and a BS).

If you do choose to double-major, make your college counselor your best friend! First, meet with your counselor to find out about your school's policies for double majors and to create a plan for your college career. Then, meet regularly with your counselor from your freshman year on to make sure you are taking all the right classes and staying on the right track. Also, communicate frequently with your major departments (if they are different). Make sure you are prepared for the amount of work and dedication it takes to double-major. Good luck!

Your son could start looking at degrees in computer science or software programming--and many colleges, art schools and technology institutes have specific programs for game design. Some kinds of engineering also incorporate mathematics with gaming. If he were to be a tester, you're right that he would probably encounter more games with violence, whereas designing a game requires focused attention to less games at one time.

I wouldn't worry at all about the size of your son's school. Also, I know many students who have begun dual enrollment or started attending college classes during their junior and senior years (although some choose to only take dual classes their senior year). Typically students start to get their core classes "out of the way" by taking them at their local colleges in the area, but you may also want to check into distance education through schools that are farther away (particularly if your son is interested in attending a particular college...he may want to look into beginning classes early at a preferred school if they offer him that option). It just depends on what his learning style is and what's most cost-effective for you.

Good luck.

Unfortunately, losing credits is part of the cost of transferring schools. That's sort of the "way of the world" in this case. The best thing you can do is go talk to your adviser and ask how you can fit the credits you've already got into a degree program there.

The next best thing you can do is probably not to transfer again until you've got a legitimate degree. (You might be able to "customize" a major with, for example, an independent studies degree.) Often you can "merge" courses you've taken into a related major. For example, if you've ever taken, say, Bible courses at a private college, you can probably make those count as history, literature, or humanities courses at a public university.

Pore over the school course catalog to see if any of the courses you've had are in any way similar to courses listed in the catalog. You'll have to do a little creative thinking, but like I said, lay this out before your adviser and the admissions advising office. Chances are they'll help you if you're straightforward (and innovative!) about your situation.

Well, it's pretty clear to me that you like French. Here's my question: Why aren't you majoring in French if you know for sure you want to study it? Maybe you could make it your major instead of a minor.

The next question is, what is it exactly about French that you love? Do you love different cultures? Do you like communicating with people who are different than you? Do you eventually hope to travel to or live in France someday? Or do you just really love French food? If you think about the reasons for why you're certain about studying French, you may uncover the nuances of the related things you are really invested in and love (cultural studies, communication studies, travel and tourism, etc).

You also said you love math. That's great; we could certainly use more mathematical minds! Of course you can combine that with creativity. You could certainly think about majoring in architectural design--that's a mathematical pursuit that is also very artistic. Or you could go into something like computer animation or creative web development. If you like cooking, that's a plus for you too...have you ever looked into food science and food engineering? You could learn how to make breakfast cereal with a degree like that!

My point is, you have plenty of options. There are more out there than you probably realize. Just do a bit of Google searching and see what strikes your fancy. Or look at a news website and see which articles catch your eye -- then think about why they do (what interests you about them?).

You can do the same thing with colleges that catch your eye. A little bit of honest research will get you somewhere. I've started you off with a few suggestions. Take it from here, and happy investigating!

It sounds like you have a real appreciation for music and art history as well as the philosophies and theories that govern the creative arts. That's a great place to start. Even if you don't have much hands-on fine arts experience, you can certainly study something like art history, music history, sociology (the shaping of cultural groups), psychology (how our brains interact with art, music, and religion), cultural studies, or something else in the humanities. (Of course, if you do take some fine arts courses in high school or college, you might also find that you have an as-yet undiscovered talent!)

And yes, being in the School for Advanced Studies will probably help your case, but I suggest you also list your experience with bass playing as well as any other community or school activities you might have been involved in (or even part-time jobs if you've held those). Good luck--and congratulations on being a student who is interested in how current concepts and assumptions have come to exist. Critical thinking and the observance of history are skills desperately needed in this day and age.

Don't worry about it. Japanese is a wonderful language to pursue fluency in, and if you want to continue it, simply apply to colleges that offer Japanese as a language option to study. In one of our magazine articles, we even interviewed a school official who talked about how essential knowing Japanese or Chinese will be to new students studying business. There are lots of Japanese programs of study out there (Google will prove me right). You might also want to see what schools offer study-abroad programs to Japan, because I'm guessing you'll eventually want to go there and be immersed in the language.

If you also want to study something in the classics or humanities, I suppose you may want to also pursue a second European language in the future. Actually, that might be where your confusion lies, because a lot of humanities and liberal arts programs require some knowledge of a European language...but even then, that's usually only if you want to go on to a grad school program in such a field.

Again, you should definitely pursue the language you're most interested in. Don't waste your time studying a language you don't like as much as Japanese just to get into college. Colleges want students who pursue their own interests, not the interests someone else told them to pursue.

You know, an old professor once told me that people can eventually figure out a way to create their own career pathways if they pursue their interests with creativity and determination. I would say the same for you. If you really are passionate about literature or religious studies, I really don't think it would hurt to major in one of those. There are English-related jobs out there that you might not have known about (like the people who write the back cover summaries of books, perhaps? or the people who transcribe subtitles for DVDs?)...and there are very many jobs that require someone with great communication, writing, and editing skills that might not be English jobs, per se.

If you are at all interested in working in library science, that might be a great route to go. Otherwise, if you are interested in working with people of different cultures, you might consider merging religious studies with international studies, and find a job that works with nonprofit organizations or (for example) helps to build bridges between different diversity groups within an urban community. Or maybe you just want to be a straight-up religions scholar!

If you're still worried about the job outlook for literature and religious studies, could there be a subject that interests you that you just don't have experience in yet, but which could be a good fit for you? Majors such as psychology and sociology are related in many ways to the humanities and to religious studies, as they explore the human condition and the ways people think, act, and grow. One of those majors could potentially be more challenging for you as well.

I encourage you to poke around a little bit. Research interesting jobs and majors on the Internet. Peruse your nearest bookstore for ideas. Thumb through your college catalog and see which course descriptions make your pulse race a little. Several options could jump out at you. You may also want to think about what subjects or class units you really got excited about while you were in elementary, middle and high school. That could give you some clues about the specifics of what you want to study and pursue.

One more thing: These days, young adults put a lot of pressure on themselves to figure out exactly what their passion is and what they're good at. The thing is, all of us are very complex beings. What we are passionate about can change over time...and we can be passionate about multiple things at once too. I urge you not to get stuck in the tunnel vision of thinking you have to find the perfect career for you right now. Sometimes people who succeed in a certain field don't even discover that field until they're middle-aged or older! There is time for you to grow in what you know about yourself and who you want to be in the future. It might take some different jobs to get there, or you might just be somebody who tries a lot of different things. (And there are negative things about every job! So don't get caught up in thinking there is one perfect job for you that will make you completely happy.)

And, well, maybe you'll find that you really DO want to pursue literature or religious studies--or something else--for the rest of your life. Or you might find yourself passionate about eventually settling down and having a family. Everyone's story is different. If it takes time, it takes time. Don't put so much pressure on yourself to figure it all out now. Work hard at the jobs you have, choose a major that will allow you to be challenged, have hope about the future, and reflect on who you're becoming as you live out your personal adventure. Best wishes.

I don't know where you heard that majoring in communications is for dummies or people who don't want to be in college! That is certainly not true at all. Communication and liberal arts-related skills are essential for careers like law, medicine, education and science. Communications is quite a challenging field, and pursuing advertising or PR is a wonderful goal. It requires a very particular skill set that an advertising/comm program could certainly help you develop - the ability to work with people, generate creative ideas, be a forward-thinker and make complicated ideas clear to other people.

And a business minor would strengthen your future career potential even more. I think you should go for it and hold your head up high ... and don't believe the lies that someone has been feeding you.