How the Great Recession Reshaped American Higher Education

Many graduates who had majored in liberal arts, social science, or education expressed buyer’s remorse. They were more likely than science and engineering majors to say they wished they had chosen a different field of study to prepare for their ideal job, a Pew Research Center study found in 2014. “They’re getting this message from home: ‘The main thing is, you’ve got to get a job,’” Catherine W. Howard, Virginia Commonwealth University’s vice provost for community engagement, said at a recent event held by the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities. “These parents have experienced the hardships of the downturn.”