I’m currently a sophomore in college at a small liberal arts college. I’m going into my second semester as a sophomore but I’m not sure the school is the right fit for me. My friends keep telling me that it doesn’t matter what you major in during your undergrad and that your grad school degree is what will really matter so I should stick out the rest of my time that I have at my current school. But I keep second guessing everything. The media studies major that I want doesn’t really exist at my college and that why I’m considering transferring. My gpa is currently a 2.5 and I don’t know if that is even good enough to be accepted as a transfer. Would it be smarter to stay at my college and finish it out? Or would it be smart to stay at my college till the end of sophmore year then go to to community college for a semester and try to get my gpa up then transfer? or to stay at my college until the end of my 1st semester as a junior (so that I can get my gpa up at my current college) then transfer after that. Is that even a option? Any advice would be appreciated.
Why are you still there if your major isn’t offered?
Why do you have a 2.5 so far? What are you planning to do differently this semester to pull that GPA up?
What would you want to study in grad school?
@happymomof1 Come on, seriously? “Why are you still there if your major isn’t offered?” Read the first post. From a college student’s perspective, we are rather confused in a lot of realms. It’s a tough decision to make, especially when we hear the sort of stuff from our friends as OP mentioned.
@aznboi4981 - Actually that is the first question the student needs to address. The student needs to examine their reasoning as to why they are still there. Was this a new major? Did the student always know the program was weak, but ended up at the institution anyway? How long has the student been considering leaving? If the student is thinking of leaving, why are only the friends’ comments mentioned, and no adult advice?
Media studies is an odd major. I’m sure you can construct a major from communication and American studies something else if need be.
The 2.5 is more worrisome.
Transferring would be smart if only because your GPA would start from scratch at the new university. However with a 2.5 your odds of transferring ‘up’ are nil, so you’ll be trading that university for a lower ranked open. It’s only worth it if it’s cheaper, so apply to a variety of instate public colleges and see what happens. If you’re admitted and it’s cheaper you have a choice, if not, you can take a leave of absence or transfer to a community college near your parents’ home so you can build that GPA back and transfer somewhere.
What other reasons besides no media studies major make your current school a bad fit?
Are you going to go to graduate school for sure? Focus on something media related then. Even if not, please know that many people end up working in fields that aren’t what they majored in. Yes, it may be more difficult to land a job/internship in that field, but it can be done.
A 2.5 isn’t really competitive for a transfer applicant. You could take a stab at it, apply some places, and see what happens, but I wouldn’t get my hopes up. Also, keep in mind that a transfer combined with a change in major now could necessitate additional semesters of school at the new place. Are you prepared for that both financially and time wise?
As far as staying until mid way through your junior year, or leaving after you complete your sophomore year and going to a CC for a stint there, I don’t think those are good options either.
So, given your current situation, my advice is to stick it out unless you are extremely miserable for other reasons. Go to your career services or speak to your advisor, and tell them what you want to do after you graduate. Get their help in picking a major that they do offer that can get you close. You could also see if there are any recent graduates who are doing what you want to do and network.