Students in the Class of 2011 in the Niles area are most interested in pursuing a college major or career in nursing/health care. This finding was released Wednesday by My College Options, the nation’s largest college planning program.

Across 36 high schools in the Niles area, 11.3 percent of students say they are interested in nursing/health care. Around 1,540 area students participated in the My College Options college planning program, reporting their future interests for colleges and careers.

Ryan Munce, vice president of My College Options, commented, “The most important part of the transition from high school to college is connecting a college education with their future hopes and dreams. While students are in high school, they need to understand that their college educations will help them accomplish what they want to with their lives.”

Although college majors and career interests may change over time, these findings give us a glimpse of what the future workforce may look like in Niles and across the nation.

The top five college majors/career interests for Niles area seniors are:
1. Nursing/health care — 11.3 percent
2. Medical physician — 9.8 percent
3. Music — 7.6 percent
4. Art — 7.3 percent
5. Psychology/psychiatry — 6.8 percent