Here are some of the best questions for a high school senior student survey about college major exploration, plus practical tips to create them. We’ve seen that using an expert tool like Specific lets you build these surveys in seconds and get much richer insights.
Best open-ended questions for college major exploration surveys
We love open-ended questions for high school senior students exploring college majors because they surface honest, detailed perspectives. Unlike yes/no or list-based questions, open-ended prompts encourage thoughtful responses and often reveal motivations or uncertainties you didn’t know existed. This is essential since only 36% of high school graduates choose a college major that aligns with their interests—a clear sign we need to dig deeper into their thought process. [2]
What interests or subjects have you enjoyed most during high school, and why?
Describe your ideal college experience. What do you hope to learn or accomplish?
What careers or professions do you find most exciting or inspiring?
Which factors are most important to you when choosing a college major (e.g., salary, job demand, personal passion, family influence)?
Can you recall a time when you felt fully engaged in a class, project, or extracurricular activity? What was it?
Have you researched any college majors or academic programs? If so, what have you discovered?
What concerns or uncertainties do you have about selecting a college major?
How do your family members or friends influence your thinking about majors or careers?
Imagine yourself five years after graduation—what are you doing, and how did you get there?
What resources or support would help you feel more confident in choosing a major?
These questions are crafted to open up students’ thinking and get to the heart of their hopes and challenges—hugely valuable, especially when so many students will switch majors later on. [1]
Best single-select multiple-choice questions for major exploration
Single-select multiple-choice questions are your go-to when you want clear, quantifiable data, or to gently ease students into the survey before moving to richer open-ended questions. Sometimes it’s easier for students to choose an option (rather than compose a written answer), and that structured data can quickly point you to trends for future deep dives or follow-ups.
Question: Which career field are you currently most interested in pursuing?
Business
Health/Medicine
Science/Engineering
Arts/Humanities
Education
Other
Question: How confident do you feel about your college major choice at this time?
Very confident
Somewhat confident
Unsure/Need more information
Question: What is the biggest influence on your decision about a major?
Personal interests
Future job prospects
Family expectations
Teacher or counselor advice
Potential salary
Other
When to follow up with "why?" You almost always want to follow a single-select answer with “why?” when you notice uncertainty, hesitation, or even when students express strong confidence—either way, there’s valuable context hiding beneath their choice. For example, a student who chooses “future job prospects” as their main influence might prioritize security, or perhaps family guidance—asking “why?” opens the door to those insights.
When and why to add the "Other" choice? Always offer an “Other” option when you suspect your choices might not cover every possibility. This not only increases inclusivity but gives you a window into unexpected factors or new trends. Following up with “Can you explain?” on “Other” uncovers gems that help you improve surveys and your broader support for students.
Should you include an NPS-style survey question?
NPS (Net Promoter Score) is often used to gauge loyalty or satisfaction with a product or service, but it’s surprisingly insightful for college major exploration among high school seniors. By asking something like, “How likely are you to recommend your chosen college major to a friend?” on a scale from 0 (not at all) to 10 (extremely likely), you can gauge how confident and enthusiastic students feel about their current choices. When so many—about 80% of college students—change their majors at least once, a low or high NPS can reveal if additional guidance is needed or if students feel excited and well-informed. [1]
You can build an NPS-style question for high school students using Specific—this approach instantly captures the “buzz” (or uncertainty) around major decisions, then lets you dig deeper with targeted follow-ups.
The power of follow-up questions
If you’re seeking deep understanding from high school senior students, follow-up questions are your secret weapon. Instead of static, one-size-fits-all questionnaires, automated follow-ups—like those offered in Specific’s AI-driven surveys—can clarify vague answers, nudge for specifics, or uncover motivations behind each response in real time. When 78% of college-bound high school students list a secondary major interest [7], digging into these layers is crucial for understanding the “why” behind students’ choices and uncertainty.
Student: “I’m interested in science.”
AI follow-up: “What is it about science that draws you in? Are there specific topics or careers that excite you?”
How many follow-ups to ask? Two to three clarifying questions are usually enough to uncover the context and depth behind an answer, but smart AI-powered survey tools like Specific allow you to set a maximum or skip once you collect what you need.
This makes it a conversational survey—not an impersonal form, but a dynamic, engaging conversation that adapts to every unique response.
AI-powered response analysis—AI can instantly analyze and summarize all this unstructured feedback, letting you easily uncover themes and insights. See how this works in the article on AI response analysis.
Automated, real-time follow-up is a game-changer for surveys—generate a survey now and see how context-aware questions dramatically improve the clarity of your responses.
How to use prompts for better survey questions
If you want to customize question sets for a high school senior student survey on college major exploration, prompts work wonders. Start with something basic and expand:
Ask the AI to generate questions:
"Suggest 10 open-ended questions for High School Senior Student survey about College Major Exploration."
For more specific results, add context about your goals, audience, and what insights you’re seeking:
"I'm a high school counselor working with seniors. I need questions that help students think more deeply about how their interests and goals affect their choice of college major, including any fears or misconceptions they might have."
Ask the AI to structure your questions for better organization:
"Look at the questions and categorize them. Output categories with the questions under them."
Take those categories, select the ones you want to explore deeper, and run:
"Generate 10 questions for the categories 'exploring interests' and 'career outcomes.'"
This iterative prompt technique helps you quickly arrive at the perfect question set for any high school senior survey.
What is a conversational survey, and how does AI change the game?
A conversational survey is not just a list of static prompts—it’s an interactive interview, powered by a smart AI that adapts each question, follows up, clarifies, and guides the flow naturally. It feels like a real chat, not a questionnaire dump, and this format massively improves response quality and completion rates.
Compare manual vs. AI survey creation:
Manual Survey Creation | AI Survey Generation (Conversational) |
|---|---|
Requires writing and editing each question by hand | Instant question set generation from a simple prompt |
No built-in dynamic follow-up; generic experience for all | Smart, adaptive real-time follow-ups for each student |
Difficult to analyze long-form responses at scale | AI-based response categorization and theme summary |
Manual data aggregation and reporting | Conversational response analysis with GPT |
Why use AI for high school senior student surveys? Because AI-driven conversational surveys unlock the full range of a student’s thinking—making it easy to engage, clarify, and gain context, all on autopilot. When half of 10th graders are rethinking four-year college decisions [4], it’s critical to capture the real drivers behind their exploration journey, not just the surface answers.
You can learn more about how to create surveys for college major exploration with best practices and detailed guides. Specific’s conversational approach makes the feedback process smooth, engaging, and truly insightful—both for survey creators and students responding.
See this college major exploration survey example now
See the difference personalized, AI-powered surveys make—generate your own college major exploration survey now and uncover the insights that matter most. You’ll discover just how easy and effective it is to gather authentic student feedback with Specific’s conversational approach.