<p>Ok, so I am in a very complicated situation right now and have a serious decision to make.
I started at a CCC in Fall 2011.
I applied for transfer for Fall 2013, got admitted to Cal as an Econ major.
Decided to go to Cal.
So now I am currently in my first full semester here at Berkeley (took one summer class at Cal and got a B in Stat 20).
Recently, however, I decided to switch my major to Mechanical Engineering.
I won't go into why I want to switch to ME, nor is it the point of this post.
(This would have been so much longer if I were to say why I want to switch)
Let's just say I want to go into a technical major, and I am determined to switch to Mechanical Engineering.
As many of you should know, UC Berkeley gives transfer admits a maximum of 5 full semesters to complete their degree and also there is a unit cap enforced.
Not surprisingly, as an Econ major, I do not have the prerequisites for Engineering, except for Calc 1 and 2.
Transfer admits are not allowed to apply for a change of college to the College of Engineering anyways.
So this all puts me in a very complicated dilemma.
In order to me to major in ME, I would have to drop out of Cal and go back to CC and start taking Engineering prereqs, which will take another two years. At first, I was very reluctant of such idea but I figured if I wanna switch, that's what I have to do.
So it really boils down to two options:
1. I could spend two more years at Cal and graduate with Econ and then start engineering for a second Bachelor.
2. I could drop out now and begin taking engineering prereqs at CC in Spring 2014 and apply again in two years. (I will be turning 21 later this year if that helps)</p>
<p>Trade-offs:
If I take the first route, I would practically be burning my tuition and wasting my time. But at least, you could say, I have a degree from Cal.
If I take the second route, I would have to withdraw from Cal and my money and time invested in this semester (and summer) would be wasted. And I would be applying for a transfer for a second time in two years with well over 100 units (right now I have 64 completed, with 15 in progress) , which puts me in a pretty bad place. Also, I won't be getting back into Berkeley COE since I would be on a withdraw from UC Berkeley L&S. The only way for me to switch to COE at Berkeley is to apply for a change of college, which, like mentioned, is now allowed for transfers.
So I will be looking at other UCs like Davis, LA, SD, SC...Or maybe Cal State</p>
<p>I had been talking to L&S advisor, community college counselor and my parents, who are very reluctant of the idea of my dropping out and start in another field. Their argument is that I should finish what I started and then move on to a new phase later.</p>
<p>I am really lost right now and I really need some advice. I thought I'd throw this up here so I can expose my situation to broader range of people.
Please feel free to say anything. I am looking for some raw / unbiased opinions.
Any words will be appreciated.</p>
<p>If you are actually not going to use your Econ major and are definitely going to go into ME, it makes more sense to me to ‘waste’ one semester rather than 4-5 semesters. It’s not worth spending all that time and money just to get a Cal degree that you’re never going to use.</p>
<p>Keep in mind, this is based ONLY on the information that you have given and the assumption that you are actually going to become a ME. Maybe your parents see that you’ve switched career direction frequently and are tired of delaying your degree yet again, or maybe they don’t have the money support you through that many more years of school, etc.</p>
<p>I agree with what everyone else said. It’s not worth spending an extra 1.5-2.5 years in CC for. And like you said, you only have calc 1 and 2 done. What if you find out you don’t like all the chemistry, physic and cs classes you need to take. believe me there is a difference between liking that stuff in HS and in College. In the end it’s just not worth graduating with a BS at 24-25 min. The train for engineering sailed a long time ago.</p>
<p>FYI because of CC overcrowding they have put in unit caps. You’ll have to talk with a CC cons. but you may find your priority destroyed once you hit 100 units. Plus with that many units it may be hard to transfer back into a good school.</p>
<p>Yes my parents definitely see that I have switched career direction a few times in the past. That has deteriorated their confidence in me trying to switch yet another time. But its never too late to realize your true passion, right? I know it’s not about the money but its just that they don’t want to accept the fact that I have to start all over again and delay my graduation. I guess I don’t want to either, but if I really want to do ME, that seems like the only way to go. As to what bomerr is saying, I am not too worried about not liking, or perhaps, not being able to handle all the chemistry, physics and CS classes. Coz I know if I drop out now, I will be determined to make things happen no matter what. What I am concerned about is the fact that, like you said, the chances of me getting the classes I want is relatively low due to CC unit caps and going over 100 units and also my ability to transfer back into a good school. What I don’t agree with you is that you said the train for engineering sailed long time ago. I believe that if there is somewhere you want to be in life, there is always a way to get there, regardless of time. Constrains are always going to be there, risk, doubt…And they can never be eliminated. What give you the power to pursue your dream is courage and a decision on how you will get there. I already have the courage to drop out. What I am trying to find now is a practical way to get there, not will I get there, nor whether or not it is too late to start the journey. Going back to the situation, Do you think I’d better off just finish up my Econ and go back to CC with a Bachelor? Will that put me in a different position in terms of unit caps and carrying too many units and my ability to transfer again into a good school, for a second Bachelor? Or is there any other creative solution that you can think of?</p>
<p>Do you have experience with Mechanical Engineering? An internship experience with a job lined up. A resume built on ME? If not you restarting from scratch. You haven’t explained why you want to do ME. That is the most important question.</p>
<p>" I believe that if there is somewhere you want to be in life, there is always a way to get there, regardless of time" "Constrains are always going to be there, risk, doubt…And they can never be eliminated. What give you the power to pursue your dream is courage and a decision on how you will get there. I already have the courage to drop out. " </p>
<p>Sorry man but this is just immaturity. It’s little kid mentality. You see it in every Superhero TV show or movie where somehow the protagonist finds a way to beat the bad guy. Real life decisions are all about opportunity cost. Which option is better, not which option is perfect.</p>
<p>You could finish the econ degree and then go for the ME masters rather than a second bachelors. This would be advantageous if you could also take some more math and physics courses (or even intro engineering courses if you can) in the meantime.</p>