I am a second year CS major about to go in my fourth semester at george mason uni. my first year and a half in has gone really well and I somehow managed a 3.8 gpa. Nevertheless I can’t help but feel depressed about the my future in CS, I cant see my ability stretching another two and a half years and I also don’t like it that much (I chose CS from family pressure). I want to change majors to chemistry with pre med, I want to aim to be a doctor. I told my parents last week and they are beyond upset, my father won’t look at me and my mom shys away when ever I bring up the subject, it’s starting to get distressing. Am I making the right decision, at this point I don’t know and could really use some advice.
premed then means an extra few years of school. Can your parents afford that? Maybe that’s why they are cringing.
You need to find out why they are upset about it.
I will say that CS isn’t for everyone.
that could be it I would mostly be shackled to student debt for a long time after school, and if I’m unable to maintain my grades due to unforeseeable events I won’t have any good way to pay back my debt. I want to become a army doctor so that would mostly take care of the med school price. My dad just really wanted me to go in to software like he is.
So @onthedot - you’re thinking of using the GI bill to pay for college or med school? Maybe that’s got them upset? I love my job (CS) but it’s not for everyone. Your parents won’t be going to work with you each day, they won’t be sitting at that computer or in those meetings. They have to have a say in anything they are paying for but they really can’t have final say in your career choice because you will need to do the work - and your working life lasts a really long time…
That’s a switch-a parent upset that their kid is switching to wanting to be a doctor. But I agree with CaMom13. It’s your career not theirs. Try to convey an understanding of your parents’ concern to them. Let them know you are being thoughtful about your future and that you appreciate their concerns. And that you have considered how you will cover the debt or avoid it. Give them information about how you would go about becoming an army doctor and how that would cover costs. They may be worried about whether that path would put you in danger’s way-war zones, etc. You might want to apprise them about the different kinds of sites army doctors work. All parents have worry issues-sometimes just letting them know you are being sensitive to their worries is a help.
Unfortunately, parents who are paying (and/or filling in financial aid forms) have all of the veto power when it comes to your college choices as a traditional student.
It may be possible to major in CS while completing the pre-med courses.
Yes, add the pre med courses and finish the CS degree. Many students get no help from parents for med school. Once you get your undergrad degree, you are free to apply to med school. You might need a gap year because you might not be ready for the MCAT unless you’ve alresdy been taking the pre med classes. (You could earn $ for med school with the CS degree, too)
You are making the right decision for you. You are a completely different person than your parents. Change majors and don’t discuss your academic life with your parents. It’s none of their business. You need to own your life. It’s not like you are failing and not telling them, you are just pursuing the area of study that interests you in hopes of a meaningful professional future - one that is also quite lucrative. If you’re parents can’t get on board with that, you are better off not discussing it with them.
You haven’t said that they have threatened to cut off their support, but even if they did. How long are you going to let them control you?
Have you met with an academic advisor to plot out your remaining semesters to see how many more will be required if you change your major? Perhaps your parents are worried about this and the news might be better than they think.
“It’s none of their business” isn’t actually true if they are paying. It is your life, but also their money. Q1 - could you add the pre-med classes with your current major without extending your graduation date? Q2 - Coukd you add a minor in Chem and complete the premed classes without extending your graduation date? Q3 - If you switch your major to chem, can you still graduate on time? Could you get a CS minor if you are well underway already in the coursework?
Note that if you don’t get into med school, the job prospects in chemistry with just an undergrad degree are fairly dismal. You might want that CS degree or minor to fall back on.
Yeah I definitely don’t agree about the “none of their business” part. As a parent paying for my kid’s tuition, yes I’d like them to be happy but I should also have a say in what I’m investing in.
To the OP, have the talk with the parents. Maybe you can come to some compromise, like Computational Chemistry or ChemE or a dual major or something like that. Med school is a crapshoot, a low percentage of people get in.
@intparent Right now the job prospects for all college graduates are excellent, especially those with quantitative skills. You’re still living in the recession.
@ProfessorPlum168 Assume that you have a say, what exactly would you restrict your kid from majoring in and how do you know it’s a bad investment.
I’m amazed at the number of people that won’t allow their children the freedom to chart their own lives or seek to control their lives through money.
The OP has a 3.8 GPA and is obviously a diligent student but he can’t become a physician because a low percentage of people get into medical school?
How do you ever expect your children to manage their own lives?
@onthedot - Is a CS/Chemistry dual major not an option? I know this is not your first choice, but it might be a compromise if your parents’ opinion mattered. I imagine you probably already have a lot of CS credits.
@ClassicRockerDad If the OP wants to use their chem degree, prospects still aren’t great. US colleges graduate gobs of bio and chem majors who are med school hopefuls, but don’t get into med school.
Yes, add the pre med courses and finish the CS degree<<<<<
ITA, as you are doing so well. Your CS will only add to your skills.
If the parents cut off support, the OP will be forced to drop out of college, making it much more difficult to achieve any professional goals, including medical school, chemistry, or CS related ones. That is the power/control that parents have over traditional college students, even if it is one that most here do not agree should be used in such an overbearing manner.
@intparent - The OP is a hard working student who wants to become a physician not a chemist. There are certainly other avenues of employment should medical school not be an option. Many of the best ones don’t have anything to do with chemistry. Life is full of risks and this is one the OP should take and whose parents should let him/her/them take.
@ucbalumnus George Mason is a local commuter school in Fairfax VA. There are part-time study options for a BS at GMU. The local economy when the government isn’t shut down, is excellent. I don’t think the OP needs to fear being cut off. It’s certainly not worth studying something you aren’t interested in and foregoing what you are interested in to maintain parental support.
I have no idea why you think the OP’s parents won’t cut them off. Some parents would. And if they don’t get into med school, a chemistry degree with no backup skills isn’t very useful.
Isn’t it reasonable to assume that the parents know their son well ? And that they have his best interests in mind ?
This is the part of the OP that raises the flags. Who knows what was discussed between these two. Maybe finances is a problem. Unless they are wealthy, or the tuition otherwise not an issue, I would be very concerned if I was in this situation.