“But if I finish out my National Security degree and then decide in the future to go back for a Physics undergrad degree, I’ve heard that I wouldn’t be eligible for any grants because I already have a bachelor.”
One thing to consider is that you might be able to get your future job to pay for going back to school - tuition reimbursement is a thing.
I work for a NASA contractor and have for over 30 years. We have people working for us with all kinds of degrees. We had a history major, a math major, a political science major, a fashion major, etc. all of who had taken science classes, showed a large interest in space, did very well in school, showed they were hard workers and proved themselves. Yes most of our people are engineers (any kind) but there are ways to get into the program without those degrees. It does take extra work and finding good contacts.
@collegemom3717 Thanks for the response.
I haven’t had the luxury of automatically having a mentor or someone to guide me is what I meant…meaning so many people come from families where they have someone, who they don’t have to go out and find, there already to help them. That part is a luxury.
I have applied to summer 2018 internships. Most of them actually close in October. I highly doubt I’m going to get any because my resume is thin compared to other students who know another language, have studied abroad, etc. like I said earlier.
I will stick to my natural strengths and use them to follow my interests. I agree with others who have pointed out that my writing is a natural strength. Now it’s up to me to decide if I want to write about international politics/national security or science.
@Gatormama …I’ve heard of that, but I assume it’s not easy and assume that would only happen under very particular circumstances.
Check to see if your college has a “professional writing major/minor” you could pair with any major.
Note that for security the languages you should try and learn would likely be Russian, Korean, or Arabic. In the world of diplomacy French remains very powerful and can be combined to African languages (West African languages, but those are probably not taught at your school).
If you’re studying Spanish what level have you reached and can you take a class such as “Portuguese for Spanish speakers”?
@MYOS1634 I know Arabic is really a good language to know at this point in the world. If I would’ve realized that earlier I would’ve never done Spanish.
Spanish was just what I took in high school (we could choose Spanish, French, or German). I took 3 semesters of Spanish in high school and then just continued on with it in college because I didn’t know any better. Wanting to study the Middle East/Asia and continuing to learn Spanish is stupid. But I didn’t realize that early enough.
But it’s not even like I could use Spanish for anything…I don’t know enough of it. My first Spanish teacher in college was laid back and didn’t teach us hardly anything, and I’m in “Intermediate Spanish” (Level 3) right now, and it’s difficult and I’m totally uninterested.
The bottom line is right now I don’t feel like I’m successful; I don’t feel valuable. Either I’m going to have to learn Arabic or do the complete 180 and learn high level math and physics instead. I’m really leaning towards science because I really don’t think I can be totally happy in my life having never learned the deep STEM stuff. I’ve always naturally been drawn to science, but giving up on it because it was “too hard”…I’m not going to be satisfied. I may still be able to get connections to the space industry or whatever, but watching other people be invested in science while I lack the knowledge would be totally depressing.
You’re a junior, right? it’s not too late to take another language, starting next semester. Does your college have an “intensive sequence” where you cover 3 semesters in 2? Or perhaps you can take level 1 this Spring, an intensive summer course covering levels 2+3, and then upper-intermediate classes senior year.
Here are examples of such programs:
http://www.middlebury.edu/ls
http://language-institute.outreach.psu.edu/
http://modernlanguages.olemiss.edu/isp/
How many credits are you taking this semester?
Foreign Language, once you’ve reached the intermediate level and even more so once you reach the advanced and superior levels, ARE difficult; they are an indication of your ability to withstand rigor and abstract thinking plus gives an indication of your analytical skills, a bit like calculus and physics do for STEM majors. You have to hold on, spend 2 1/2 hours to 3 hours per class period memorizing vocabulary, doing exercises, writing sentences out, going over the last lesson and preparing for the next.
Ok, here is an update…
Met with the head of the physics department (who I actually met with last year too). He completely understands my desire to pursue science. However, he said Physics would be a super difficult and “rushed” way to go at this point, especially since I have financial concerns. I wouldn’t be able to take 15 credits a semester because they’d all be hard courses and he doesn’t recommend students do that. So I’d only be able to take 6-9 credits for a few semesters, which would drag out my graduation and give me more debt. He thinks the general Science (B.S.) is probably a smarter option for me at this point, because it dives into Physics, Math, Chemistry, and one biology course, but gives me a lot more flexibility and will allow me to graduate sooner.
I asked him if there is any big disadvantage to doing this major instead of Physics in terms of career/job prospects. He said no, not really…yeah, there are some employers out there who will insist you have a degree specifically in Physics if that’s what they really want, but he said as long as I make clear on my resumes and cover letters that my general Science major included deep Physics coursework that I should be fine in pursuing jobs that I will be interested in.
So I think I’m going to do that. Now, the Science major has a general option or a government & public policy option. I could choose the government and public policy option if I want to retain the “evidence” of those government and politics classes I’ve taken, although I might need to take one or two more. He told me to consult with the general Science advising department to decide whether to do the Public Policy option or just the general option.
So it looks like that’s going to be the plan. The only remaining apprehension I have is I worry that this general Science major will limit my career opportunities compared to Physics majors, but he assured me I’m overthinking it and that it’s more about what skills you learn and what opportunities you take rather than what your major is on paper.
@MrElculver2424: To me this sounds like a good plan. Good luck and best wishes!
The general science major doesn’t seem to include enough in-depth classes - you’ll have to list the advanced math and physics classes you take.
I don’t know how it’d be received - I thought ‘general science’ was for future teachers?
What type of internships can the career center help you find?
Can you go to the Career Center and ask for a listing of jobs that were found by these majors?