In danger of not graduating after 4 years and unsure how to proceed

Student Lounge College Life
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<p>Hi, I am a senior at a very prestigious state school. in the top 10 public schools in the country. </p>

<p>When I entered college, I wanted to go into chemistry but I changed my mind after a couple of years. Then I wanted to declare a major in anthropology and Japanese at the end of sophomore year but my parents forbid it and said that I had to do science or else they would stop paying for school. </p>

<p>I proceeded and decided to at least switch from chem to bio. but when I started bio major classes, I failed a class and got a D in another one and ended up on academic probation. I spent a semester trying to bring my GPA up and ended up with C's in my two bio major classes.</p>

<p>This semester, I've been under a lot of stress because of being really busy with extracurriculars and a lot of drama within my sorority. It's the end of the semester and I am definitely getting D's in my bio major classes again. My major GPA is at a point where I need to get straight A's next semester or else I won't graduate.</p>

<p>My dad told me that he can't pay for school next semester and we need to take out loans which I think is a really bad idea. I personally think that I should take the semester off and come back next year but I'm afraid that my parents will get mad and want me to just try for the straight A's next semester to finish in 4 years. unfortunately, the last class I need for my bio major is offered in the spring.</p>

<p>Would taking a semester off really be so bad? I haven't talked to my parents about it yet because it's my mom's birthday and I can't bother her with this today. I will probably be talking to a therapist and my academic dean soon but I was wondering if you all can give me some advice.</p>

<p>Thanks! </p>

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<p>No, taking a semester off isn’t bad at all. Many students do it for a variety of reasons - including financial issues.</p>

<p>I wish more parents would listen to their kids when it came to majors; your job prospects with a major in anthropology are not much worse than they are with a major in biology, and you’d probably enjoy it more and get better grades. If it helps, you can show your parents [url=&lt;a href=“http://cew.georgetown.edu/unemployment]this[/url”&gt;Unemployment For Recent College Graduates By Major | HuffPost College]this[/url</a>] report. Biology majors have a 7.7% unemployment rate. For anthropology, it’s 10.2% - a bit higher, but not so much higher as to cause serious alarm. Starting salaries are also similar. But that might be water under the bridge now.</p>

<p>If your parents can’t pay for school next semester, taking a semester off and coming back next year might be a good idea. However, it also depends on how much your parents would have to borrow for you to finish. If you are at a public institution and your spring semester would cost, say $25,000 - it might be worth it for your parents to borrow that money so you can finish this spring. But if you are feeling burned out and need the time off, you can let your parents know that their money wouldn’t be put to good use by forcing you to return in the spring.</p>

<p>You need to talk to your parents about it soon - administrative offices will be closing, and you need to put in formal paperwork to take a leave.</p>

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<p>Actually, anthropology majors from Berkeley seem to do better in terms of post-graduation pay for those employed compared to integrative biology and molecular and cell biology majors in recent years.</p>

<p><a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major/Major.stm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>@ucbalumnus, I am sure you meant to say “anthropology majors from a top-10 public school on the semester system” ;)</p>

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<p>Would you feel the same way if your parents were willing to pay? If yes, then a semester off might be a good idea if you have a plan for what you want to do during that time. You need to make sure you understand the financial impacts of that decision. If you have student loans, you need to check out when repayment starts. For direct loans, I believe you have a 6 month grace period. So you will need to start repaying the loans if you do not take summer courses. Based on my understanding, this grace period is a one time deal. If you use it now then when you graduate the loan payments start immediately.</p>

<p>It appears from your post that you let your ECs and sorority impact your grades. It might be time to focus solely on your courses and graduate. It is unfortunate that you ended up in the wrong major but you are at the point where it makes sense to finish your degree. Nothing says you have to work in the field you study. Get the degree and move o</p>