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Apr 21, 2026 23 min

The "Safe" College Major That Just Collapsed

from The College Admissions Edge Hosted by Pearl and Andy Lockwood

Is your kid planning to major in computer science? Before they commit, you need to see the data — and it's not what colleges are advertising. Computer science enrollment exploded 500% from 2008 to 2024. Now it's dropping — down 8.1% since 2025 according to the College Clearinghouse. Meanwhile, engineering is up 7.3% and data analytics has grown by 35,000 students since 2020. In this episode of College Coffee Talk, Andy and Pearl Lockwood break down: - Why computer science may be following the gender studies path — impressive-sounding, but economically risky - Which majors are actually rising right now (and why they track the CS decline almost exactly) - Why your kid needs to be learning AI regardless of what they major in — and what "learning AI" actually means - The financial aid negotiation move that got one family $64,000 more from Johns Hopkins - Why waitlisted students almost never win financial aid appeals — and what "preferential packaging" really means This is the conversation guidance counselors aren't having with your family. LCP has it every Monday. **Chapters:** 0:00 — Is computer science the new gender studies? 2:05 — The CS enrollment data: 500% rise, now dropping 4:20 — What's rising instead: engineering and data analytics 5:06 — Why every student needs to learn AI (not what you think) 13:42 — Pearl's perspective: financial aid negotiation 14:25 — The case that worked: $64K more from Hopkins 16:14 — The case that didn't: why waitlisted students lose appeals 17:25 — Preferential packaging explained 18:25 — Tax returns and financial aid appeals For more information visit: LockwoodCollegePrep.com #CollegeMajors #ComputerScience #CollegePlanning #LCPCoffeeTalk

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The "Safe" College Major That Just Collapsed

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This episode was published on April 21, 2026.

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