Conflicted between going back to cc or staying at UCLA

Parent Cafe
1

<p>I just finished my first quarter at UCLA and should be heading back for the winter quarter. What's holding me back is that I feel kind of aimless at ucla. I feel like I have no direction. The thing is, right after high school I started attending cc and during my time there I felt pressured by my dad to get out of there as soon as possible because he didn't want me to stay there for too long. I also pressured myself because I felt that I could do aim high as well. I presumed that it would take me 3 years to finish, but was encouraged by a classmate to finish in 2, which was what I did. This is where the problem is. I focused on finishing my GEs and didn't really know what my major was. I concluded logically that cognitive science would be the best major for me. I like psychology and math, why not combine the two? But, that was the problem. Logically, it sounded right for me, but personally, it wasn't. It was just something that I logically justified for myself because i needed to declare a major to transfer. So,this was the major that I transferred with to UCLA. I immediately changed to history because I found that I had an interest in it. But then, there is the problem again. I had an interest in it, but it didn't seem so much a passion for me to really be my major, just like cognitive science. So, my very first quarter at ucla felt very aimless. I was just taking classes because I had to, and to meet the requirements for Physican Assistant school (which is my ultimate goal). My dilemma right now is my major. Though, if ucla had some sort of a health major or even food science, I would jump at it in a heart beat. But they dont and that's what makes me stuck. No matter how many times I look at their list of majors, there really is none that strike me. Maybe ucla is not for me. </p>

<p>So, that is one reason why I am considering going back to the cc, instead of back to UCLA this next quarter/semester. I can go back and get my EMT certification, which I had plans on getting before attending PA school anyways. Also, I could apply to other schools that have a major that would strike me more than being a history major. I could major in some sort of heatlh and minor in history, as I do enjoy the subject. Or should I stick it out at ucla and be a history major? Because I will be attending PA school anyway and be learning about health and medicine. In that manner I could have a more diverse background? That seems kind of okay to me. I'm really confliced and feel like I am swaying both ways because after writing that, I felt like I don't really have a major but history doesn't seem that bad because I do like learning about it.</p>

<p>Some other reasons why I don't want to go back to ucla:
-my roommate is horrible: she's controlling and manipulative
-i'm finding the people at ucla to be a bit superificial and kind of materialistic
-the campus is really big, I think I might like a smaller campus (plus it is kind of difficult to get a recommendation letter from a teacher who also has another 700+ students)
-aimless (or maybe I just have to realize that I don't have to have a health major because I will go to PA school anyways?) (and I do enjoy learning history, my only problem is that I don't see the application for it. ie. why am I learning this? especially when I can easily pick up a book at Barnes and Noble and learn about it?)</p>

<p>Reasons why I do:
-I love taking classes there, I'm being challenged there and the quarter system is way better than the semester system
-I get to be away from home and have my own life</p>

<p>Reasons why I want to go to CC:
-take EMT classes (too expensive at ucla and may be too difficult to take simultaneously at ucla during the school year and keep a good gpa)
-re-think things and maybe apply to other schools with a major that I would be more passionate about
-be with my friends (having such a bad roommate kind of killed my spirit a little. Yeah it was that bad, I was just putting up with it and letting things be when I shouldn't have been)</p>

<p>Reasons why it might not be such a good idea:
-I have to live at home (my home life isn't so great, it was a big factor in my effort to transfer so quickly; so that I could get out finally)
-may not be challenged enough by classes there</p>

2

<p>So, if you leave, you will take the EMT classes and work for at least 2 years full-time for your clinical experience required for teh PA program. Since most programs seem to stress the amount of time needed for the experience, it seems that you will put your education on hold while woring for that experience. Would it be possible to get your BSN so that you can work as a nurse for your requirements? When you go back to school to a PA program, sometimes your employer will pick up part of the tuition and allow you to continue to work.
If you stay and get your degree from UCLA, you will be more attractive than those candidates with less education, but you will still need to train to get a job that will meet your clinical requirements.
Ultimately, what route do you want to take to meet your requirements to e a PA? If you leave UCLA and change your mind about the PA program, your will be thowing away a great opportunity to attend a world class university. But by staying to study history, you are delaying the time it takes to begin a PA program. Or are you trying to get into a program that doesn’t require a clinical experience component?</p>

3

<p>Which is worse - the bad roommate or living at home? For me it was living at home - I would have sold body parts to stay away from my parents.</p>

<p>Why don’t you try one more quarter at UCLA and then decide? I don’t think one quarter is long enough to make an informed decision.</p>

4

<p>Since you are interested in the Health Sciences, why don’t you take a look at the UCLA School of Nursing? It would be much more relevant to your career interests than History.</p>

5

<p>MizzBee I was thinking of just going back to cc for the remainder of the year to obtain an EMT license and to come back to ucla or another university the following Fall. In a way it would give me time to figure things out because I’m running out of time in my ungrad years to be still confused about a major.
But after my bachelors, I plan on working and gaining that experience. Basically it will just be a gap year, or months actually, for me to gain some clarity.</p>

<p>Cliffylove if I want to transfer I can’t stay another quarter because that would put me more over junior standing and would be even more difficult to transfer. Thats one reason why I want to go back to the cc so that I can figure things out and to atleast try to apply to other schools with majors that attract me more.</p>

<p>And can i get into UCLA school of nursing? I haven’t taken the lower divisions and from what I hear, it’s very hard or even impossible to switch in between schools at ucla</p>

6

<p>I feel very much the same way (and at the same school too!). </p>

<p>However, I feel my “problems” arise from the living situations. I really hate living at UCLA. I only live 45 minutes from home and after living their my freshman year, I really didn’t want to live at school again and would have preferred the commute (I’ve commuted to my summer job for 45 minutes-60 minutes each way, so it’s really no bother to me), but for some reason I decided to sign up for housing again and blow more money. I really have no clue why. I hated it last year, hate it this year. I think it may be because the fact they make you reserve your spot in January for the following year. Additionally, I feel as though I needed to “be a strong man” and live up to the expectations of my parents, although now that my father has passed away my mom actually wants me to be home to help out, which I do every other weekend and much prefer to living at UCLA. </p>

<p>Anyways,
My advice is to stick it out to the end of the year. Why? Well, first off you will be blowing tons of money if you drop out of housing. Unless you have a great reason for leaving, like death in the family and can’t afford it or something like that, they won’t let you out of the contract and even if you do you have to pay a 500$ penalty. Also, I think there is a better option available…
finish the year at UCLA, do whatever summer classes you want at your cc, and then take a leave of absence from UCLA in the fall. That will give you at least 6 months to figure out what you really want to do.</p>

7

<p>I really hope you live at home for the next year Brinks, it seems like you would be happier there. And thanks for the advice but I feel a little uneasy about continuing at ucla towards a history degree because it’s not really what I want and I don’t feel like ucla has a major for me. If I continue, then I will have to finish as a history major because I will have taken waaaay too many units to even consider another major (I’m a transfer so I only have so many units left at ucla). I will have to graduate with a history degree. The part about me being a history major is what bothers me… and I don’t know what to do. I fear that if I do stick it out the whole year as you suggest… I might actuallly have to stick with it permanently. And I’m not quite sure that’s what I want…</p>

8

<p>Okay, why not look at majoring in something that might come in handy later, like biology or neuroscience? The good thing about biology is that you can take classes in anatomy and physiology that will help you with both the EMT and the PA program.</p>

9

<p>When I was at UCLA, I majored in Applied Physiology. I wanted to go to grad school in physical therapy and it was a perfect combination of requirements for me. You have all of the typical pre-med requirements (physics, chem, calc), neuroscience and the exercise physiology component as well. These would be great for a PA applicant as well. The only thing, it’s challenging to get a high GPA (mostly A’s) in the pre-med requirements at UCLA. However, my GPA in my major was excellent and I did very well applying to grad programs for PT.</p>

10

<p>Can you integrate your interest in medicine into your history coursework?
Do some research in medical history?</p>