<p>sakky restated what i already mentioned
“economics and haas majors get can get a 60K-80K starting salary, it really depends on the job, i have seen the haas salary reports, and econ is right up there too, the problem is my gpa is crap and i cant even do haas, there would be no point applying,”
I know I have no chance of econ or haas, thats why I am considering majors with prerequisite of 2.0 gpa and above,
the only majors i looked at that I have somewhat interest in are ISF and Sociology, i also hear the sociology dept is quite prestigous at cal, thus i am leaning towards sociology as a major, only problem is I have to take 12 sociology courses (I already took soc 1 and stats 20) so I have 10 more to take in 3 semesters. Is taking 3-4 sociology courses per semester too much?
I also wonder, is there any sociology courses that can be taking at JC online and count towards the 12?</p>
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<p>Sure, econ and Haas students can get jobs paying $60-80k or even more. Heck, anybody can. In fact, this year there was a guy who was majoring in social welfare who got a job that paid him more than $1.6 million to start. Furthermore, that guy didn’t even graduate; he actually dropped out of Cal because companies were offering him that kind of money. Furthermore, after only a few months on the job, people are already saying that he is vastly underpaid. </p>
<p>[Paul</a> Domowitch: Eventually, Eagles will have to show DeSean the money | Philadelphia Daily News | 10/03/2008](<a href=“http://www.philly.com/dailynews/sports/columnists/20081003_Paul_Domowitch__Eventually__Eagles_will_have_to_show_DeSean_the_money.html]Paul”>http://www.philly.com/dailynews/sports/columnists/20081003_Paul_Domowitch__Eventually__Eagles_will_have_to_show_DeSean_the_money.html)</p>
<p>The point is, there are indeed students at Cal who will make vast vast amounts of money to start. But that doesn’t mean that you can count on doing the same. Any major can potentially have some people who will make vast amounts of money. What really matters is what most of the people end up making, and the truth is, unfortunately, many Cal grads don’t really make that much money to start, and certainly not $60-80k.</p>
<p>actually i heard that sociology is NOT that prestigious at berkeley. why? because it is the major where all the athletes (football people/ basketball players etc) do when they cant get into psych or social welfare.
lol.</p>
<p>so, sociology is a pretty easy major compared to the rest. and if you really enjoy it, then it shouldn’t matter if you take a lot of soc classes per semester. take summer school at cal!</p>
<p>intersesting though not surprising article about desean, i am an eagles fan</p>
<p>so i am thinking of declaring sociology, but what i change my mind later on? like 1 year from now? is it possible to UNDECLARE a major? if so, are they consequences?</p>
<p>anyone know which sociology courses are the easiest? and is taking 3 soc courses too much per semester?</p>
<p>You have too many Cal credits to take any JC classes for credit. If you like soc, go for it, but remember that even soc phds aren’t very well paid. If income matters to you, with your gpa econ is your best bet.</p>
<p>i cant do econ my adivsor said they dont admit students below 3.0 and my econ gpa is like 2.5 :(</p>
<p>Sonic Pwr,</p>
<p>I reiterate the opinion that you should a.) forget about salary, and b.) shoot for an ISF major. Despite your interests in sociology and economics, I think you’re clearly better suited for major that crosses disciplines. </p>
<p>I think it would be in your best interests to visit the ISF web page, [Interdisciplinary</a> Studies at UC Berkeley: Welcome](<a href=“http://ls.berkeley.edu/ugis/isf/]Interdisciplinary”>http://ls.berkeley.edu/ugis/isf/) . Familiarize yourself with the major requirements. Sign up for ISF 100A next semester, along with another course to meet the first half of the World Civilization requirement. (Geography 10, which you seem to have taken, satisfies the second half.) You need six upper division classes spanning at least three disciplines (sociology and economics can be two of them) to fulfill major requirements, which can surely be done in the time you have left.</p>
<p>Kultur wolf, thanks for your response, i have already looked into ISF, the problem is that I plan on studying abroad somewhere in europe next fall, And since ISF requires you to do a senior thesis, that could create many problems, the thesis has to be 60-80 pages and is done over the course of the entire senior year i think, thats the main reason why I am cant do ISF, also ISF is a major without any substance, what kind of jobs do ppl get with a major like ISF?</p>
<p>You are asking for the world with nothing to trade in. If I had that kind of GPA, I wouldn’t feel entitled to studying abroad… and ESPECIALLY at the expense of taking the best route in my education. Also, what exactly makes you feel entitled to a high-paying job right out of graduation despite your obvious lack of direction and ambition? People at Haas and Econ have worked hard to get where they are, and will work even harder during their time in the program in order to graduate to a high-paying job. I’m stumped.</p>
<p>In regard to studying abroad, I hope you’re aware of Berkeley’s Senior Residency Requirement for L&S Students. I believe 24 of your last 30 units need to be completed on campus. (I could be wrong about this, especially for EAP students.)</p>
<p>Sonic- You need to forget about job prospects or salaries if graduating in four years is more important to you. If it’s not, then the solution to your problem is simple: stay longer. Also, keep in mind that the correlation of degrees and salaries is somewhat dubious, especially for liberal arts majors. (There are many threads on this website dedicated to this topic.)</p>
<p>In truth, I think graduating in four years is a worthy goal. I think an ISF major is both tailored to your interests and doable in three semesters. At the same time, I wish you had made better plans earlier on, and I don’t think studying abroad next fall is a great idea. (You said “somewhere in europe,” so plans are a little sketchy here too.)</p>
<p>To sum it up, I advise you to a.) skip Europe, b.) stop worrying about the value of a liberal arts degree, c.) major in ISF, d.) write a great thesis, e.) graduate in four years, and f.) make your loved ones proud.</p>
<p>Grey_syntactics— I never said I was entitled to a high paying job, the money really isn’t important to me as much as you might think otherwise, I will be satisfied making 40K per year, ofcourse I would prefer something in the 60-80k range, but if thats not reachable with my gpa and major in the College of L& S, than i will settle for 30-40k starting
ISF department encourages students to study abroad, plus the grades I get studying abroad transfer over to my berkeley transcript
The main thing about ISF I am concerned about is the thesis, I have never written one before and will 1 semester of my senior year be enough time, i plan on going to ISF department next week</p>
<p>do PEIS, you have a lot of the requirements already. and you can probably count some of your random upper divs towards your concentration. look up the major! it’s a good choice i think. and according to the “what can i do with a major in…” from the career website, they get similar jobs to the econ and haas majors.</p>
<p>i looked into peis already, i just dont think I am intersted enough in PEIS,my liking is more towards the psychology or sociology courses, problem is I kind do psych because its too late (too many units) and sociology people say is the “athletes major”, you get anything out of it</p>
<p>Can you even qualify for study abroad with a sub 3.0 GPA, I thought there was a minimum?</p>
<p>When studying at Berkeley, you’re looking to please employers a lot of the time. Given this, I’m not sure that they all automatically say “oh Sociology major, the athlete’s major.”</p>
<p>yea most places require minimum of 3.0, but this semester I am working hard so I should top that easily, please understand, its not that i am stupid or not a hard worker, in highschool i had straight A’s and 2340 on SAT, its just that I didnt care enough in college, and now im paying for that mistake, anyone know which study abroad programs are the easiest to get A’s, so i can relax, have fun, and at the same time get A’s?</p>
<p>Sonic!</p>
<p>You’re KILLING me here!
Do NOT study abroad!
Find a major and graduate!</p>
<p>Alright, let’s be fair. What exactly IS most important to you?
Studying abroad? Graduating in four years? Or majoring in something profitable?
I think it would be helpful if you listed those in order of priority. Remember, you
(especially you) likely cannot have all three – or even two. </p>
<p>Your high school record is impressive, but unfortunately, no one cares except college admissions. You need to seriously think about the next stage of your life. Though I sympathize with your aversion to grades, its a competitive world out there, and you too need to learn to “play the game.” So stop making poor decisions - honestly, do you have any idea WHERE you’re going to study abroad? - and get that degree!</p>
<p>I think you need to make a visit to the career center. Get some counseling about prospective jobs for different majors (you’d be surprised to learn that most majors don’t lead to any particular type of job or field or 60-80k entry level salary…), perhaps try to find an internship, and get a sort of wake-up call. It can’t hurt at this point.</p>
<p>Ultimately, getting a good job comes down to how well you can market yourself. Since GPA clearly is not something you can market yourself with, try getting some technical experience, like try working in a lab. If you stand out there, you can perhaps “explain” your GPA.</p>
<p>If you have some experience many employers will be willing to overlook you. And of course, what matters most is your first job they say…</p>
<p>Of course this is coming from the engineering field, I dont know how it is elsewhere.</p>
<p>*As a note: I basically disregard the average salary of a major. I go in it for the interest as well as my relative skill in it.</p>