I’m a freshman at Azusa Pacific University and I’ve been here for a little over 2 months. It’s gotten better, I absolutely hated it the first couple of weeks, but now I’m just kinda indifferent and lonely. Like I don’t love it but I don’t hate it either, you know? I’m not happy here though and I really want to transfer to either Long Beach or Cal Lutheran. I’ve asked my parents about transferring schools before, and every time I do, my mom gets SO angry because she absolutely loves APU and doesn’t see that I don’t feel the same way as she does. My dad is against the idea as well. But there’s nothing really keeping me here. I don’t like my major (my parents won’t even let me change my major), my roommates don’t hang out with me, my classes are just okay, not amazing, and I have no close friends. I really want to transfer. I feel like I’d be so much happier if I did.
Let’s start with this…why won’t your parents let you change your major? You’ve posted previously that you are a Psych major; what would you like to change it to?
Also you have noted previously that you have a lot of scholarship money at APU. You probably would not be in line for as much, if any, if you transferred. How would you make up the difference financially?
And transfer to Long Beach is out until you have 60 units. How many units will you have at the end of this semester?
You’ve already received lots of advice about making friends in another thread. I’m not going to go there, but please keep this in mind…in many ways, transferring is like doing your freshman year all over again.
Actually, your parents can’t stop you from changing your major. Or adding a double major. But presumably you aren’t liking Psych 101, so tbh you don’t really know if you don’t like your major- psych can go a lot of ways.
I have no idea why they won’t let me change my major. I would change it to liberal studies, I think. My mom, for some reason, really wants me to be a school psychologist but that’s just not what I want to do with my life. I know I wouldn’t have any scholarships if I transferred, and that’s also a big part of why my parents won’t let me transfer. I don’t have a lot of units right now, only 12. But I do have some AP credits and I’m going to try to take as many units as my school lets me next semester (17, I think) and then do community college classes over the summer to get even more credits. I wouldn’t mind redoing my freshman year over again if it meant I would be happy.
Also I just don’t really like the idea of college in general. But I have to go, and I know that. I’d much rather do beauty school or photography instead, but I know that’s not realistic.
What’s your plan to pay for the increased cost if you transfer?
Idek how I would pay for it. which i guess means i’ll just have to suck it up and stay where I am unfortunately.
@peanutbutter7739, I kinda think you do indeed need to suck it up. You can try sitting down with your parents and giving them a detailed presentation on why you’d rather be in beauty school, but it doesn’t sound like you’re even committed to that idea. With the number of units you have, you would not be able to transfer to Long Beach until your junior year. Cal Lutheran is out - too expensive.
What I meant about doing your freshman year over if you transfer is that you’d be right back in the same situation of learning your way around a new campus, needing to make friends. Would you be happier? Maybe, maybe not. But it doesn’t sound like a realistic option.
Try to break this down and make small steps to make APU more tolerable for you. You don’t have to be a psych major to enter a master’s program to become a school psychologist. There are certain psych classes you’d need, but you could take those without that as your major. Maybe you could explore that. And try talking to your mom about why you don’t see yourself as a school counselor and some of the other options you’d like to explore. If you approach it in a mature, well-thought out fashion, your parents might be more open to your ideas.
I don’t say this lightly, but can you apply for a gap year? That is, take at least a term- and, better, a year out, with leave to come back in a way that would keep your scholarship money? If that is possible, I would suggest that you get a full time job (go ahead and get it in a beauty school or photography shop/company if you want). Support yourself financially. Staying college when you don’t really know enough to know what you want, when you aren’t able to have a mature conversation with your parents, when you are just thrashing around unhappy is a waste of time and money. A term or a year of being financially self-sufficient will help you get some maturity, figure out what you really want and make a plan for getting there.
As a parent:
You sound a little depressed. What have you done to address that?
You sound a little lonely . WHat have you done differently to meet people?
Have you gone to the counseling center and talked to them about your issues?
Why did you pick APU in the first place?
Why would the other colleges be any different?
What would the cost difference be?
How could you make friends at the new Univ if you couldn’t before?
Do you like your major?
Have you talked to your professors about your major and what you could do with it?
Have you gone to the career office and talked to them about aptitude tests and what might be a good major for you?
All I read is that you are unhappy, and dont’ want to be unhappy, and you think the solution to that will be another school. But if you don’t change your actions or change some things, you will be in the same situation just in another school.
my parents would kill me if I did a gap year, so that’s out of the question 
I wish I could do that, though.
I only picked APU because I thought it was the best out of my choices (Cal Poly Pomona, Mount Saint Mary’s, Cal Lutheran), but now I really regret it and wish I’d picked Cal Lutheran since one of my really good friends goes there. Same with Long Beach. I know I probably won’t ever transfer, its just like wishful thinking. My major is okay. I don’t particularly like it, but I’m dealing with it lol.
do you have a major in mind you might enjoy?
i was thinking of liberal studies maybe. i’d love to be an elementary school teacher. i’m also into more creative type things, like makeup artistry and photography, but my school doesn’t have very many classes for that kind of stuff (plus i wouldn’t need to go to college to do makeup artistry).
Can you do makeup for any school plays/productions?
Can you take a photography course?
If you want to be an elementary school teacher, does your college have an education major? If not, then this is not the school for you.
Not sure about the makeup for plays/productions, but I think my school does offer a photography course… My school has a liberal studies major, which is basically an education major. But even if I was going to switch my major from psych to liberal studies, my parents won’t let me (they don’t want me to be a teacher, they say it “doesn’t make enough money” and that a school counselor pays so much better). Could I still become a teacher if I major in psych and minor in lib studies? Or should I do it the other way around - major in lib studies with a minor in psych?
To be a teacher you have to take courses about education…either you take them as an undergraduate or you could take them as a Master’s program and either pay for it or go through Teach for America or the like and have them pay for you.
I would talk to your advisor or career consultant to see what is appropriate at your college.
i might just switch my major anyways. all of the courses I’m taking for psych are required for liberal studies anyways. and i could always do liberal studies with a concentration in psych so i don’t feel like I’m wasting my time lol