major crisis! please help

College Majors
1

<p>I am a sophomore studying abroad right now. I have done a lot of soul searching in regard to what I want to major in, which presumably will lead to what I will do as a career. I started out thinking I wanted to major in math or physics, decided I really disliked both departments at my university, and have been muddling around in various subjects since. I started out with linear algebra directed towards math majors my first semester, found it easy and got an A, and I also started a course in basic quantum physics, which I ended up dropping, mainly because I was extremely depressed my first semester and had to drop SOMETHING. </p>

<p>I was thinking I would study languages and possibly work in some sort of international career up until this point, but I've found that although I love languages, I really don't like the idea anymore and am very dissatisfied with the direction my education has been going. I feel like I would be very upset and unfulfilled if I didn't do something science-related as a career. My interests lie mainly in astronomy and astrophysics. The worry is, however, that I might not have time to finish a major, as at the end of my sophomore year I will have at most one math course completed (I will likely not be able to study math or science while abroad). I'm at a private university on a scholarship that runs out after four years, so I cannot take longer than four years to graduate. I figure my last chance would be to major in math and hope to do something later in graduate school to specialize. The math major at my university requires a minimum of eleven courses.</p>

<p>I basically feel like I'm wasting my college experience. Although this is somewhat of a ranting I-need-to-tell-someone-how-I-feel thread, I have a few questions.</p>

<p>Should I try to major in math? I worry that I might get burnt out doing it all at once, although I would spend some time taking a few elementary level courses (calculus I-IV, differential equations) again that I took in high school, which wouldn't be that much of a challenge, I'm assuming. I wouldn't necessarily have to take those courses; I could take upper-division math to replace them, but with so much math to do all at one time, I'm not sure I want to do that.</p>

<p>What about research? Is it possible to suddenly decide that your really do want to do science in your junior year and pull off enough undergraduate research that a decent graduate school is feasible?</p>

<p>If I didn't major in a math/science field as an undergraduate, is it possible to get back into science later?</p>

<p>Lastly, am I just crazy? Is science worth the effort in the long run?</p>

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<p>A few random thoughts from an ‘adult’ --I dont know if that is a positive or a negative :)</p>

<p>If you intend to pursue astronomy/astrophysics as a profession .. you will have to get a PhD … math degree is not a bad way to go. Realize these positions are few and need to be pursued relentlessly</p>

<p>…I would first say that I have a degree in geology, work as a geologist in industry. </p>

<p>You commented you wanted to do something -science. I dont know what the options are at your school. But look at piecing together a degree with grad school. I know money can be an issue, but ‘bag’ that first degree and step on from there. Since you seem somewhat uncertain of what you want to do, I would do a basic sceince -physics fro example rather than astrophysics… </p>

<p>Well those are some thoughts … any other input?</p>

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<p>I understand your not knowing what to do. I was in that same situation. I liked a wide variety of subjects and was pretty decent at all of them. Without any real-life experience with jobs, I just didn’t know what to study. </p>

<p>I think you should just pick something and go with it. Try to choose something employable just in case you don’t go to grad school. Did you ever consider more directed majors, such as pharmacy, nursing, physical therapy, accounting, engineering, teaching, etc? These are jobs that train you to work in a specific job area and have good job prospects. Personally, I found that once I committed to something with a very directed course of study, I was much happier.</p>