Changing course(major) mid-stream

Transfer Students UC Transfers
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<p>Let's say, hypothetically, a liberal arts major suddenly wants to pursue medical school or some other science based career, earning a B.S. in the process. They are in their second year, have no math, chemistry, or biology completed, and may even need remedial courses just to meet the college math and science course prerequisites. All told, completing the lower division work may take an additional year or two(or three) and 50 semester units on top of the 30-50 they already have in the arts/humanities/social sciences, totaling close to 100 units overall at the CC. Would this even be possible(transfering to a mid-upper tier UC: Berkely, UCLA, UCSD, UCSB, UCD?) </p>

<p>I ask because given the indecisive nature of many younger adults concerning their future, minds/interests can inevitably change. Basically, if you want to pursue a degree in the sciences, it seems like you need to start from day one and have a strong prior experience in HS. I can understand how a university might be reluctant in admitting a CC student who spent years there taking a boatload of units, but on the other hand, it seems unfair that they would punish the student for having a change of heart in regards with where he wants his academic career to go.</p>

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<p>you could always apply as a double major and just pursue one after being admitted</p>

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<p>Cry me a river… LOL…</p>

<p>There are quite a number of older adults who already have a BA (120+ semester units) and need a career change into something with much better job prospects like registered nursing or pre-med. They have forgotten or have never taken the required science/math prerequisites. They also work part time or full time. For them, it’s a long 2-5 year journey to just apply to the associates degree nursing program. What I’m saying is that you will have a lot of "misery loves company " over the next few years as you struggle with your classmates through the math and sciences. </p>

<p>It’s really important that you take your time doing this. Whether it’d be pre-med, nursing, or some other allied health field, they all have very demanding GPA requirements. You have to guard your GPA as if they are the family jewels. Most people who try to matriculate at med school or nursing school don’t make it. A lot of it is because they took too many science lab / math classes simultaneously. 2 labs is a good max to start with. Plug in GE classes throughout the journey to lessen the blows. Don’t make the mistake of taking all GE classes at the beginning and leaving only the hard classes left for you to crash and burn. Learn the “drop without academic notation” date and the “last day to drop with W” date. If you drop a class you’re getting a C in, you should drop and all you’re out is a few hundred dollars temporarily you can make back from a job. If you get a C/D/F, your GPA is permanently damaged and cannot be repaired. Other than the very occasional B, you should be getting all As. If you get straight Bs in your first few math/science classes, you’ll be like the contestant on “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” who has already burned all of their lifelines before the $16000 question. </p>

<p>Finally, UC/CSU limit the number of units from CC at 70. It’s safe to take 999 units at a CC and not be inadmissable. Go for it! And remember it’s a marathon, not a sprint the rest of the way.</p>

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<p>I was thinking that, BouncingBoy. If I pursue this, I should definitely pace myself. Would two lab classes and a math class per semester be overkill? </p>

<p>This is still not set in stone and I myself don’t have much interest in entering the medical field.(My mom was a RN in an ICU and I saw the amount of stress she had)</p>

<p>I am highly interested in psychology, but more so in the neurophysiological aspects of behavior than the theoretical social-sciencey curriculum that seems to make up the core of a run-of-the-mill B.A. I am also interested in having a solid grounding in the natural sciences, as I have limited knowledge.(only got to Honors Bio in HS sophmore year; no chem/physics) My career aspirations are broad and unclear: everything from being a teacher to an FBI agent. Becoming a clinical neuropsychologist, a Marriage Family Therapist(MFT), social worker(LCSW) or a clinical psychologist have also crossed my mind at one time or another. I want a degree(s) that will open me up to many aspects of the world, and be practical if I want to continue with graduate studies. </p>

<p>Philosophy has also peaked my interest. I am considering double majoring or minoring in it. Given my limited background towards math and science, I find late-modern analytical philosophy(think Bertrand Russell or Wittgenstein) to be way over my head. I think having a solid foundation in the scientific ways of understanding the universe would greatly help with my study of philosophy of the mind, mathematics, science and language. </p>

<p>I am looking into UCLA’s psychobiology program, UCSB’s biopsychology, UCSC’s neuroscience and behavior, UCD’s psychology(B.S.) and Neuroscience, Physiology, and Behavior(NPD), and UCSD’s psychology(B.S.) For the most part, they all require 1 year of chem, 1 year of org. chem, 3 semesters of bio, 2-3 semesters of physics and 2-3 semesters of calculus. </p>

<p>I don’t think Berkeley offers an undergraduate concentration in neuropsychology, but I could be wrong. </p>

<p>Sorry for the long response. It is a tad convoluted, I apologize.</p>

<p>*Edit</p>

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<p>Does anyone know if Transfer Admissions Guarantees(TAG) are acceptable with ~100 CC units? I know the minimum is 30 units to sign, but is there are max?</p>

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<p>I would suggest looking at psychiatry too. BS in psychobiology + med school prep would work here. You’ll need to go to med school for that but I think you might dig it. For one thing, a lot of mental conditions cannot be controlled without the use of medications. You’ll run into a wall as a clinical psychologist who can’t prescribe meds. You can tell a patient a thousand times to stop compulsive shopping and apply all of the stuff you learned on how to get people to stop compulsive behaviors but it often won’t work at all without meds. The best part of psychiatry is that the pay is way better than any of the other careers you’ve listed so far.</p>

<p>If all your units are from California community colleges, only 70 units can transfer to CSU or UC, thus it’s impossible to get above 70. You will get subject credit for anything above 70 though. There are some TAGs that have a max at 90 but I don’t see how that’s applicable to normal CCC transfers. TAG or no TAG, I’m sure you’ll get into most places anyway if you do well in your science classes ane even if you have 100+ CCC units. The only way you could blow is by getting bad grades or by taking classes at a 4-year school, which might cause you to exceed maximum units for junior transfers.</p>

<p>I think 2 labs + math is fine. It’s just that you have to get used to working harder than in the social science classes you’ve been taking all along. You should probably delay physics until you have one math class under your belt. Do bio, intro to chem (not general chemistry, because you have no high school chem), and math.</p>

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<p>I think it will take some planning and research for student that decides medical school is the route for them after completing several units in a non-science field. Just remember that a major change isn’t necessary; medical schools will admit students studying in the social science, humanities, arts and cultrual science fields. However, with a degree in those fields the students still needed to meet the admissions requirements for medical school; they completed the chemistry, biology and mathematics courses.</p>

<p>The planning will be needed to determine what prerequisite courses should be take at the CC level prior to transferring or if there will be time to complete these courses at the four year university level; this will depend on what previous courses have been completed.</p>

<p>Again it isn’t necessary to change your major to go to medical school. In fact, in the last study done by UC Davis (that I’ve come accross) more students with a degree in the area of Humanities, Arts and cultural studies (HArCS) were admitted into medical school than students with any other major. You only need to make sure you can complete the requirements for the medical school of your choice.</p>

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<p>Thanks for the replies. It’s becoming more and more of a possibility(likely hood?) the more that I think about it. I don’t know if I’m med school material, but I’ve definitely considered it. </p>

<p>As I make a projected schedule of the next two years, I see one problem. The biology sequence at my school requires general chemistry(Chem1A) as a prerequisite, along with another Bio class(intro to Bio). If I took intro to Chem in the fall, I would have to wait until the next fall(Fall '09) to begin the bio sequence(3 semesters). Furthermore, taking the intro to Chem class would this fall would push the period I could take organic chem by a year, as the first semester is only offered in the fall and the second part only in spring with none during the summer. </p>

<p>I think I will try to place into Chem1A instead of Chem42(intro to chem) by doing what was suggested in this thread and preparing for the placement exam. I just hope I won’t be too ill-prepared. </p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/uc-transfers/446986-general-chemistry-placement-exam.html?highlight=chemistry[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/uc-transfers/446986-general-chemistry-placement-exam.html?highlight=chemistry&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I’m still having a heated internal debate about this. An additional year(at least) at my CC is discouraging and part of my mind has doubts of my quantitative/scientific abilities, as I’ve always struggled with math. Luckily, I have until the fall to truly decide which path I will take. Thanks again.</p>