Am I in the Wrong Major?

Student Lounge College Life
1

<p>Hi guys.</p>

<p>I'm a sophomore majoring in finance at a small college in Missouri. Recently, I've discovered that I don't plan on having a career in business (e.g. working for a financial services firm). I am, however, enjoying my macroeconomics class and love the international relations class I took my freshman year. Unfortunately, my college doesn't offer a major in international relations and it only offers a BSBA in economics. </p>

<p>Honestly, the only reason I'm attending my college is because I got a full-ride. My classes are very easy (for the most part) and I actually feel intelligent compared to the majority of my peers. I live at home and commute every day, so I haven't made many friends.</p>

<p>In addition, I was working on campus as an English as a Second Language tutor (for international students) and I found out two weeks ago that the program was cut. I haven't been able to find a new job (on or off campus) yet. </p>

<p>My dream career would be tracking/preventing terrorist financing or analyzing the consequences of implementing economic sanctions on countries. I also want to learn Arabic, but my college doesn't offer that either. After graduation, I intend to move to Washington, D.C.</p>

<p>So, should I stick with finance? Could I find a non-business job if I majored in finance? Should I transfer? </p>

<p>My mom is a professor at the college I attend. Her words of advice were: 'Finish your Bachelor's degree at MSSU and then worry about what you want to do."</p>

<p>Please help me!</p>

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<p>Given your circumstances I don’t see any advantage in you staying at MSSU other than cost. MSSU may be a bargain for you but if it hasn’t got what you want then the bargain price doesn’t matter. Graduate school will be an expensive way to learn what you could have learned at undergraduate rates elsewhere.</p>

<p>I would find the university that has the classes and programs you seek and transfer. The sooner the better.</p>

<p>It seems you dream of tracking/preventing terrorist financing, yet you still live at home. I would go somewhere that requires you live away from home so you can start learning what its like to stand on your own two feet.</p>

<p>Does your mom’s advice serve you or her own needs to keep you around as long as possible? I might be wrong, but I think her advice may be self-serving.</p>

<p>It’s your life. Live it your way.</p>

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<p>@Deuga7 Do you think it would be wise to switch my major from finance to economics? </p>

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<p>This is a good career counselor question. Last time I checked you need a PhD to do anything in Economics with an Econ degree. You can get a good paying job with an undergrad Econ degree, it just won’t be doing Economics. Finance is a great major too, if you love finance. You don’t need to go to grad school for it, though doing so can lend advantages. However, Finance isn’t for everyone.</p>

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<p>@Deuga7 I’m hoping to transfer to Lehigh University. It has a great dual International Relations-Economics program. My problem with a major in finance is all of the business courses I’d have to take. I can see the practicality in accounting courses, but I’m not looking forward to the management and marketing classes. </p>

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<p>I hope it works out for you. Good luck.</p>

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<p>Can you take classes at any other Universities near by?
Could you do an “exchange” semester at another US or Foreign Uni?
<a href=“http://www.mssu.edu/international-studies/partner-universities/”>http://www.mssu.edu/international-studies/partner-universities/&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“MSSU - International Studies”>http://www.mssu.edu/international-studies/index.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Can you get your BS at MSSU and then continue your studies?</p>

<p>Have you looked at this? <a href=“http://www.mssu.edu/academics/programs/certified-global-business-professional.php”>http://www.mssu.edu/academics/programs/certified-global-business-professional.php&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>How would you afford this? Your mom probably doesn’t want to give up a full ride?</p>

<p>I would try to talk to your academic advisor and the career office. Also talk to an economics professor about this.</p>

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<p>I have wanted to learn Arabic since I was in middle school, but MSSU’s program was cut a few years ago. Rosetta Stone was not as helpful as one might think… </p>

<p>I would love to study abroad, but MSSU doesn’t currently have partnerships with universities in the MENA region. I looked into the Certified Global Business Professional degree, but according to my adviser, no one has completed it yet. </p>

<p>My mom thinks that I should stay at MSSU (of course) because not only am I getting a full ride, but I also get a refund check every semester. According to College Board’s NPC, the cost of Lehigh is equal to the cost of MSSU’s tuition. If I were to attend, I could pay using money from my saving/checking accounts. </p>

<p>I would like to get a Master’s in Security Studies from either George Washington University or American University, but it’s very expensive. Part of me wants to get a Bachelor’s in International Relations and Economics (with a statistics minor) and call it good. </p>

<p>I’ve narrowed my career possibilities down to the following: microfinance, government analyst (State Department or Treasury Department), or working for a think tank (which also requires a Master’s degree).</p>

<p>My problem with MSSU is that it’s a regional university. No one really leaves Joplin after graduation; therefore, the alumni network is basically only in Missouri. </p>

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<p>Anyone else? </p>

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<p>I don’t think you need a PhD in economics to do “anything” in economics. There are jobs in economics at several levels; although a PhD is helpful especially for the highest-level research jobs, many economic analysts have MAs in economics and related fields. I’m pretty sure the federal government hires MA-level economists as well. I just checked out USAJobs and while most economist positions were at the GS-12 and GS-13 level (which is generally PhD level or several years of federal experience), there were also several at the GS-09 and GS-11 position and even a few at the GS-05 and GS-07 level.</p>

<p>Lehigh and MSSU do not cost the same amount. MSSU’s tuition is $173/hour for in-state students, which I am assuming you are given that your mother works there. For 30 credits, that’s $5,190 per year. Even if you were OOS, $353/hour is $10,590 per year. Lehigh’s tuition is $44,520 per year. That is not including the room and board you will need. All in all, Lehigh estimates that the cost of attendance for one year is $56,770. If you used a net price calculator, you were getting figures for the financial aid that Lehigh might award you if you were a freshman applicant getting 100% of financial need. I am not sure whether Lehigh meets 100% of financial need for transfer students. (It does appear that they offer significant financial aid to admitted transfer students). If they do, whether your payments are equivalent to what you would pay at MSSU depends on your family’s financial circumstances (although that’s kind of a moot point, since you are paying nothing at MSSU right now given that your mom works there and you are getting a courtesy scholarship).</p>

<p>But how on earth would you pay for Lehigh out of your savings? Do you have a great deal of money saved up? Are you able to do this without your mother’s help? Because if not, her word is going to matter a lot - and if she will not support a transfer, you may not have much of a choice. If you are in-state, what about a University of Missouri campus? What if you stayed at your current place for 2 years and transferred as a junior to Mizzou or another Missouri campus with something more suited towards your interests?</p>

<p>Nevertheless, you don’t need to transfer to do what you want to do.</p>

<p>-MSSU doesn’t have any direct programs with Middle Eastern countries, but they are part of the ISEP program, which they recommend as the best way to study abroad. ISEP has placements in Turkey, UAE, and Morocco (varies by semester). Take a look.</p>

<p>-You say that your dream career would be tracking and preventing terrorist financing. You are a finance major. Yes, that is a <em>very</em> good major to have - and yes, people with quantitative finance skills are needed outside of the world of selling and buying things. Governments need to make financial policy, NGOs and nonprofits need to do financial analysis (both in-house to stay afloat and out-house to keep track of financial trends in the countries and people they try to help). You can certainly get a non-business job with a finance degree. If your college has classes in IR and economics, take them alongside your finance degree. The management and marketing can come in handy later in your career - as you move into management positions.</p>

<p>-Most of the careers you want will require a master’s degree. Government is pretty difficult to get into without one. You want an expensive master’s degree; to that end, it’s probably better to start off with an inexpensive bachelor’s degree.</p>

<p>The Arabic thing does suck, especially since the Critical Language Scholarship requires at least one year of academic study of Arabic. But a couple of other languages popular in the region do not. Consider applying for one in, say, Turkish. (Look here: <a href=“http://www.clscholarship.org/”>http://www.clscholarship.org/&lt;/a&gt;). This may be something you begin in undergrad and continue in grad school. There’s also the Boren scholarship (<a href=“https://borenawards.org/boren_scholarship/eligibility.html”>https://borenawards.org/boren_scholarship/eligibility.html&lt;/a&gt;).</p>

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<p>@juillet My mom makes less than $50,000/year, so I/we should qualify for some aid, however the University of Missouri didn’t offer me any, so I’ve removed it from my list. It also doesn’t have the type of atmosphere that I’m looking for. I’ve always wanted to live on campus, but only 10 percent of MSSU students do. </p>

<p>When I was a HS freshman, I started looking at colleges. My mom was never interested in doing that, so I had to do it myself. She let me apply to a few colleges that I liked, but I had to fill out the FA forms, pay for my scores to be send, etc. Then, when I got wait-listed at all of them, she said that I was going to MSSU. I feel so out of place on CC because many people’s parents are supportive. My mom wants me to become a dental hygienist (her profession before becoming a professor) and she wants me to pick a major that MSSU offers - not necessarily what I would choose. </p>

<p>The funny thing is my mom comes every day and says how lazy the students are, how they want everything to be given to them and that’s how I feel about most of my classmates. In high school, I didn’t have a 4.0, but I do in college. </p>

<p>I’m afraid that if I stay at MSSU, I’ll settle for what it offers me and I’ll never get to focus on what I actually like doing. </p>

<p>If I did go to graduate school (I’m looking at American or GWU), it would cost $1500 a credit hour and living expenses would probably be $30,000/year. Even if I did have $25,000 in the bank when I graduate from MSSU and worked for 3 years before applying, I’m not sure it would be enough. Could I even get a job in D.C. with a finance degree from MSSU? </p>

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<p>Have you talked to any professors about this to see if they have ideas?</p>

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<p>@bopper I’ve talked to my adviser about it. He even called the majority of MSSU students “goobers.” There are about 1100 graduates each May and only about 10 have 4.0s. They’re normally education or art majors, though. </p>

<p>Even though my mom is a professor, she thinks there are lazy students at every college, which is true. However, this is my third semester and I’ve only met one person who is intellectually curious. Most of my classmates are happy with Cs. </p>

<p>I miss high school because my classes were more challenging and the students were competitive. Having a 4.0 at MSSU is like being a Rhodes Scholar. </p>

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<p>Does your adviser have any suggestions?
Is your dad in the picture?
I can imagine how tough it is for you with no money to pay for more college.</p>

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<p>4.0s are pretty rare in college regardless of whether it’s MSSU or Harvard. Since there are no chances to earn more than 4 points for an A (except at the few colleges that give a 4.3 for an A+), just one B tanks your 4.0. The trade-off is, though, that nobody really checks for you to have a perfect 4.0. A 3.5+ is probably sufficient for most things you want to do, unless you want to go to a competitive law or med school (in which case you should probably aim for a 3.7 but plenty of 3.5s get in places, too). So the lack of 4.0s is not indicative of MSSU’s culture.</p>

<p>Most graduate students in professional fields like security studies finance their education with loans. That’s a good reason to keep undergrad costs low. There’s not a lot of non-repayable aid for professional grad school. Is it possible for you to get a finance job in DC with an MSSU degree? Probably. I can’t speak to your chances or competitiveness, but the name of your college only matters in a relatively small circle of jobs - and even then, once you are a few years out from college, your work history will matter a lot more.</p>

<p>Nevertheless, why don’t you apply to transfer and see what happens?</p>

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<p>@‌bopper My parents are divorced and my dad is self-employed (he owns a siding business.) At the beginning of the semester he gave me $200 to go toward gas, but that was it. </p>

<p>My advisor told me to transfer if I’m financially able. At the point, I’m okay being $15,000 in debt. </p>

<p>The only two people I’ve become friends with are planning to transfer. It seems like nobody really can relate to my issues with attending MSSU. The students are only here to pass their classes. </p>

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<p>@juillet: I’m hoping to apply to the University of Richmond, Lehigh, American, and possibly Bentley University. </p>

<p>For what I want to do, I think American is the best option, but because their aid isn’t too great, I don’t think it’s realistic. </p>

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<p>Let us know what you choose to do!</p>

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<p>@bopper I’ll be sure to! </p>

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<p>Here’s a little advice from someone with knowledge of the folks that track terrorist finance networks: look for an internship. If you really want to end-up in the intelligence community without going into the military first for experience, your best bets are to either have a graduate degree in the field with some applicable experience, or get an internship. I know quite a few people that have gotten internships either out of undergrad or grad school and were later picked-up by that agency. Granted, hiring isn’t quite what it used to be, but there are still internships that you can land. How many are with Treasury’s OIA, I don’t know. </p>

<p>However, the hardest part of working for the intelligence community is just getting your foot in the door- it’s relatively easy to move around after the fact. For example, at this current moment there are two openings on USAjobs for the the OIA. They’re GS-13 positions, so you need a fair amount of experience to get them, but I just wanted to let you know that they are still hiring folks.</p>

<p>So yeah, look into the internships. Some you can only do in brief windows of your undergrad, some you can do while a grad student. If you finished with your degree at MSSU, maybe you can look into <a href=“http://dss.missouristate.edu/”>http://dss.missouristate.edu/&lt;/a&gt; to get into the DC area and have a better shot at internships. I know someone personally that got an internship through DSS.</p>

<p>Good luck!</p>