Agreed that living in Southern California is very pricey == but a lot of community colleges are still online this summer, and USC has reciprocity with a huge number of them. if the OP decides to go to USC and wants to get some GEs out of the way this summer, living someplace inexpensive (their home, perhaps?) and taking CC courses online could be a viable option.
Thatās a good question, which makes me wonder why the OP didnāt lead with whatever it was the therapist recommended? Once the issue of clinical depression enters the picture, most therapists have no problem recommending the student get out of Dodge in one way or another.
COVID definitely tanked a bit of my social life but I was generally unhappy Fall 2019 and tried my best to make the most of it. Spring 2020 got slightly better until the LGBTQ+ clubs started to ice me out and progressively made me feel worse until Fall 2020. The people there are also brutal with or without COVID. Once regulations were lifted, I went on a camping trip with my coworkers and was immediately left out from activities, bonfires, beach hikes, etc. Itās, again, probably me being petty but it felt unwelcoming.
2 Likes
I have tried medication and I have two happy lamps. Like I said, I can tolerate the snow but there are some days where it just makes me snap. I woke up one morning to a path of snow that was about a foot deep. I am from a place thatās always sunny, if not always sunny, very hot.
I spoke to my therapist about this and she told me study abroad is a once in a lifetime opportunity I should take. Iāll be going to London and the chances of me having a liveable visa there would be slim again. With transferring, she told me to do what will make me happy and to chose some place that will let me learn in a supportive environment that my current school isnāt giving me. She told me to sit and think about it and thatās what I have been doing.
why did the LGBTQ club ice you out?
London also has miserable weather. Are there any other choices for study abroad?
4 Likes
Because of the small campus, I sided with a person who was genuinely my friend who has helped me with my mental health and has very similar hobbies/interests as me (mind you, they didnāt do anything wrong asides from suggesting the club changes its image given its past history with racism as well as maybe doing a bit of rebudgeting) and that was enough to curse me for life. It literally feels like guilt by association and they want nothing to do with me.
1 Like
Itās either London or Copenhagen but my parents arenāt letting me go abroad unless a few of my friends are coming with me. I know a few of my casual friends are going to London so I picked that city.
Thatās why I have the psychology degree under my belt. I was originally a pre-med student and was excelling in my classes but lost the passion to do it. Then I swapped to English Literature and Film and then Film and Psychology.
I donāt really want to do a career thatās all for the money and I think, the ultimate goal as a film scholar to research and become a professor, Iād rather do something thatās gonna be liveable and happy. Whether thatās becoming a psychologist or film scholar.
3 Likes
Iād expect the therapist to be at least as supportive of a desired transfer as the OPās professors, of whom one or more presumably wrote a letter of recommendation for the transfer application.
Be aware that getting a tenure track faculty job is very difficult and competitive for many fields, since far more students graduate with PhDs than there are tenure track faculty jobs.
5 Likes
Might not be your intention but it feels like youāre trying to steer me away from majoring in film. If thatās not the case, my bad
Sorry for what your going through. It shouldnāt be that way. Maybe a change of scenery and studying abroad will help. But eventually you have to come back and finish. Are the members of the club going to graduate before you do? Maybe a change in membership will help.
do what you love!
One of the reasons why I even threw study abroad into the pool is because most of them are going to graduate Spring '22 when I leave. 
1 Like
so it seems you have some friends, maybe not a gigantic social circleā¦smaller friend groups can be just as fun and rewarding. Maybe London is the break you need.
1 Like
My school therapist told me to sit and think about it. She is supportive of me making a decision thatās best for my happiness and to learn in an environment with a supportive community. She also, like everyone else, proposed that I stay for study abroad because it might be something I need. I am meeting with one of my academic advisors and professors today to ask them.
1 Like
Why were you left out on the camping trip?
I think you should go with your gut, depending on finances. We cannot tell you what your gut feeling is.
If the LAC is very small and you feel bridges are irrevocably burnt, with no chance of change, then maybe changing is in your best interest. There is a chance that going abroad and then coming back with less time left at the LAC, you may feel better.
Please donāt let anyone dissuade you from studying what you love. Film and psychology majors do not have to work in those fields. Clearly you can write, research, analyze and are very articulate. You can work in many different jobs. The job world isnāt only these neat categories tied to majors.
You can continue with film in grad school (USC then?!) or work in that field at entry level or do your own work while at a āday job.ā
For these two years, you deserve to be happy. Which is more important to you, majoring in film with so much support from faculty (LAC) or a fresh start socially with more sun (USC). Again, I donāt know how much of a role finances play.
4 Likes
British weather is notoriously grey and wet. Disregard the weather issues. Having said that, I lived in London for twenty years and itās a fantastic place. Iām sure you will enjoy it. Can you extend the program to a year? Be aware that you canāt just pack up and move overseas.
Frankly, with the extra info youāve given us, I very much get the sense that leaving your school isnāt going to be a magical solution for your dissatisfaction. Are you running away, or are you genuinely looking for a better opportunity by transferring? Iām honestly not seeing that youāll get that at USC.
2 Likes
I missed the deadline to leave Fall semester but still have plenty of time for the Spring semester. I honestly hate this place so much and I hate how trapped I am being at this LAC and the cons of transferring that make both choices unwinnable for me.