By Danielle Ellis
For anyone interested in going to college, there are plenty of questions. Which classes should I take now? Where should I apply? How do I pick a major? How do I choose a career? Should I go to a big university or a small college? Is it even worth going to college now?

Henry J. Eyring (son of Henry B.) tackles these questions and more in his new book, Major Decisions, just released by Deseret Book. More than a one-size-fits-all book about the pros and cons of college, Eyring asks each prospective college student the insightful and deeply personal questions that each person must answer for him or herself in order to have a successful college experience.

Brother Eyring has spent the last fifteen years in jobs and church assignments where he has worked closely with college-age young adults. He was the MBA program director at BYU, then a mission president, now a vice president at BYU-Idaho, and the father of three college-age kids. Naturally as he has talked with them, they have asked for his counsel on college, career paths and graduate school. This book is his thoughtful answer.

Brother Eyring was gracious enough to talk with me and explain a little more about the purpose of the book. “I like telling stories on myself,” he says. “I like to share my mistakes, too, in the hopes that others can learn from them.” Brother Eyring’s wit and self-deprecating humor keep the book light-hearted. “I also wanted to share the goodness of my teachers,” he explains, “and I want to give encouragement and guidance to students.”

One of the key points Brother Eyring makes is that in life, one of the keys to success is in making “high stakes judgments,” or HSJ’s. He builds a persuasive case that the greater one’s ability to make HSJ’s, the greater one’s ability to succeed in any endeavor, from the farm to the boardroom. He also clearly and succinctly teaches prospective students the process by which they can make HSJ’s about their own lives, starting with college.

“This book was born from the questions I get, but it’s also about the questions students ought to be asking. Most students work off of assumptions. The assumption is that if they’re doing well in high school advanced classes, and they’re getting good grades, that they’ll be ready for college. They take AP classes to get ahead. AP classes can be a great learning experience, but they may not be as beneficial as students expect.

“Many students take so many AP classes that when they begin college they are already sophomores. They don’t realize that the typical student takes five years to graduate, changing majors two to three times. They wait a long time to declare their major, then their credits don’t count towards graduation when they change majors. They also don’t realize that AP classes don’t help you toward your major hours, or help you choose what major you want. They would do better to ask themselves, ‘What do I want to do when I finish school?’ Vocational classes might be more practical to help them figure out what they want to do in life.”

Brother Eyring urges students not to fall prey in their majors to the same problem Oliver Cowdery had: just asking. “The Lord taught him that he had to study it out first, then ask. You’ll find out if you like a major once you choose it. In the ‘Oliver Cowdery internship,’ heaven confirms your efforts rather than revealing.”

The most exciting concept Brother Eyring advocates in the book is to “Be your own general contractor.” He explains, “Your teachers are your master plumbers and electricians, but you still need the master plan for the whole house.” Applied to your college experience, a student must know where he or she wants to go after college: a job in the field; a Master’s degree in the field; a job in a different field or a master’s degree in a different field. The questions include the classes themselves. What is the intent of the major? For what are its students prepared? A student who goes into the university with an idea of what he or she wants to do will be able to cobble together a custom experience that will be richly rewarding.

Who will benefit from his book? Brother Eyring sees several categories of students, and he has some advice for them all. To the kids who think college isn’t for them: fewer young men are going to college now. “I hope they will see the value of college.”

To those who did poorly in high school: you can recover from it. “Prestige [in a college] matters a whole lot less than you think. Some people believe that the only question to ask about college is BYU or BYU-I. That’s very limited. They should ask ‘Best for what?’ and ‘Best for whom?’”

Most importantly, Brother Eyring testifies, “Heaven has prepared a place for you.” He adds, “God cares about you and your education. He will not only help you get the education you need, He will take you to the people He wants you to encounter.”

“Choosing a college is a spiritual decision. All spiritual decisions require careful study and homework. Every student can and should have a personal confirmation of their course of study. This is true not only about education; you can have your testimony strengthened by the process. This is true for everyone, not just those at church schools. [My education] was about the people I met who changed my life, and associations that changed my life.”