<p>Hi all;</p>
<p>I read these boards often but haven't posted until now. I am really in need of help in making a decision quickly. I will seek out an advisor at my school as well but I cannot do that for another couple of weeks, after I attend an information session.. so I am here hoping someone can give me their input. Registration begins March 25th and I have to have things sorted out before hand, advisors at my school are not often as realistic about things as I'd like and appointments are short! I need to do as much research on my own as I can at this point. </p>
<p>I am currently a senior at Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, majoring in Psychology. I am also a non-traditional student (41) and this is will be my 1st Bachelor's -- I had children young and didn't start school until my oldest was in high school. I attended community college up until the Fall 2012 semester when I transferred to Texas State. </p>
<p>Psychology was not my original plan (though it was my major at community college so the interest is there); I was previously a Communication Disorders major, hoping to eventually be a Speech-Language Pathologist, but I found out very late in the game that the program at my school is so incredibly competitive, just at the undergrad level, that it was not going to happen for me. To sum it up, one C in a biology class at community college was going to do me in, because the average GPA for those accepted is a 3.8! </p>
<p>In addition, they recently changed many of the program entry requirements and going that route would have added another year to my undergrad degree. So, having a lot of psych credits already, I switched my major. I was strongly leaning towards pursuit of either a Master's in School Psychology, or a Master's in Social Work and I felt like a psych degree would be a good fit either way. My school requires a minor and my minor is Sociology, something else I already had a lot of credits in. </p>
<p>However, due to a lot of indecision and lack of proper planning, I am dangerously close to running out of Pell grant funds and borrowing too much in Stafford loans. I've recently "done the math" and this is my major consideration right now. Because of pre-requisite requirements for the Psychology degree, I need college algebra (vs liberal arts math) in order to take Psy statistics, then I need that statistics course as a pre-req for another, and all of that has to be done before I can take some upper level psych courses to get my degree. Nothing can be taken concurrently so it will take me four more semesters to finish even though I only need 13 more classes total. I am not 100% sure I will not run out of a way to pay for the tail end of this degree and that is frightening. I am just picturing the scenario: student loan debt looming, no degree, no prospects for grad school, and no better off with job prospects than before I started! Trying to pay for the rest of school on an office clerk's pay. Terrifying. </p>
<p>I have recently researched my school's option for a Bachelor's of General Studies. This is described as an interdisciplinary degree that lets a student choose three minors. I ran a degree audit and if I went this route, I would minor in Psychology, Sociology, and English, based on what I have already taken and my personal strengths (everyone I know is shocked that I am not pursuing an English degree already). </p>
<p>If I go the BSG route, I need only 10 more classes but most importantly, there are no sequencing issues or pre-requisites to meet that would stretch things out so long. I would be able to finish my degree in two more semesters and get on with things. </p>
<p>Honestly this idea is very appealing right now (and in addition, I could opt for liberal arts math credit --vs college algebra--and no statistics) but I am of course concerned about what to "do with" the degree, particularly if I still want to pursue either the MSW or the Licensed School Psychologist option. My school's grad program for school psychology emphasizes the fact that they don't require an undergrad degree in Psychology for acceptance but I don't know how they'd look at the BSG with the minors I'd choose. I have no idea how MSW programs would view it either. </p>
<p>I am not particularly married to either of those ideas for grad school though, if someone has other suggestions. I have an interest in teaching, but for whatever reason I imagine myself teaching adults in some capacity, rather than children. </p>
<p>Thanks in advance for any input, and please, no lectures on my financial aid situation. I am well aware of the foolish choices I have made in the past that got me to this point of having a crazy amount of credit hours and no degree to show for it! ;) I appreciate you reading this, considering the length!</p>